One of our high-performing sales reps is demanding to be promoted to an enterprise sales director seat, which does not currently exist on our Accountability Chart. He is threatening to leave if we do not create it. How do we handle this pressure?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

You must never create a seat on your Accountability Chart to satisfy an individual's ego or to prevent them from quitting. The Accountability Chart must always be designed by looking at the needs of the business first, and the people second. If you start creating custom seats to appease employees, you will end up with an inefficient, fragmented organization.

First, look at your V/TO® and your current Accountability Chart. Does the business genuinely need an Enterprise Sales Director seat today to achieve its goals? If the answer is no, then the seat should not exist. Creating it would add unnecessary overhead and distort your reporting lines.

Second, have an honest conversation with the sales rep. Explain that your organization is structured functionally, not hierarchically, and that every seat is created based strictly on business needs. Show them the path for growth within their current seat, such as increasing their sales targets or earning higher commissions on larger accounts.

If they refuse to accept this and continue to issue ultimatums, you must be prepared to let them go. Keeping a hostage-taker on your team destroys trust and signals to others that they can manipulate the company structure. Stick to your systems, protect the integrity of your chart, and focus on building a sustainable business.