When we define the five major roles for each seat on our Accountability Chart, the descriptions end up either as fifty-bullet job descriptions or meaningless generalities like be a leader. What is the formula for defining the five roles so they actually drive accountability?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

The five roles on an Accountability Chart are not a human resources job description, a task list, or a standard operating procedure. Their purpose is to define the five critical outcomes or operational arenas that this seat alone owns for the company.

To define high impact roles, apply three strict rules:

First, use action oriented business language that implies ownership, not activity. Avoid passive words like assist, participate in, or help. Use words like Lead, Own, Drive, Design, or Deliver.

Second, every role must represent roughly twenty percent of that seat's mental energy and ultimate accountability. If a role is so narrow that it only happens once a year, drop it. If it is so vague that every leader in the company could claim it, sharpen it.

Third, include the Leadership Management and Accountability role for every seat that manages other people. In EOS, that role is written as LMA. That explicitly holds the seat accountable for building great culture, setting expectations, communicating clearly, and conducting quarterly check-ins.

A strong Sales Leader seat does not say: answer client calls, update CRM, attend trade shows, be positive, and manage revenue.

It says:
- LMA
- Sales strategy and pipeline growth
- Closing key enterprise accounts
- CRM integrity and revenue forecasting
- Sales talent development

Anyone looking at those five lines immediately knows what success looks like, what metrics tie to the seat, and who to hold accountable when pipeline stalls.