We have grown to forty people and I am drowning in daily firefighting as the founder. I need to hire an Integrator to take over operations, but I am terrified of bringing in the wrong person and destroying our culture. How do we safely define and fill this seat?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When you reach forty employees and are drowning in daily firefighting, you have outgrown your current structure. You need an Integrator to run the business so you can elevate to your true Visionary seat. To do this safely, you must design the seat before you look at any candidates.

Start by building the exact five roles of the Integrator seat on your Accountability Chart. Typically, these roles are leading, managing, and holding accountable the leadership team, executing the business plan, harmonizing major functions, and ensuring cross functional alignment.

Once the seat is defined, evaluate potential candidates against GWC. They must get it, which means they intuitively understand how to manage people and processes. They must want it, meaning they genuinely love the daily grind of execution. They must have the capacity, meaning they have the mental and emotional bandwidth to handle the stress of operational accountability.

Before hiring externally, look inside. Sometimes a current department head is a natural Integrator waiting for the opportunity. If you hire externally, realize that the transition takes time. Introduce them slowly, let them build relationships with the leadership team, and use your Level 10 Meeting to build trust.

Most importantly, as the founder, you must commit to letting go of the vine. If you hire an Integrator but continue to micromanage daily operations, you will drive them away and waste valuable capital.