We are building our Accountability Chart to prepare for a clean exit, but we have a critical Quality Assurance and Compliance seat that is completely vacant. None of our current leadership team members want this seat, and everyone claims it is outside their expertise. How do we handle a vital seat that everyone is avoiding?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

You cannot leave a vital seat vacant, especially when preparing for an exit. A lack of clear accountability for compliance is a major risk that will destroy your company valuation during due diligence.

When everyone avoids a seat, it is usually because the roles are undefined or the team feels they lack the resources to succeed. To resolve this, first define the five core responsibilities of this compliance seat on your Accountability Chart. Make the roles crystal clear and outcome-oriented.

Next, look at your existing leadership team. If someone has the capacity but lacks the technical expertise, determine if they can manage an external specialist or contractor who actually performs the daily compliance tasks. One of your leaders must own the seat to ensure accountability, even if they outsource the technical execution.

If no one on the current team can GWC™ this seat, you must hire an external candidate or look at restructuring other areas of your chart to free up capacity. Leaving the seat empty or dividing its responsibilities across multiple people is not an option. One name must go in that seat to ensure compliance is managed flawlessly before you go to market.