Our Operations seat has grown too large, and our current manager is struggling to handle both supply chain logistics and customer service. How do we cleanly split this seat on our Accountability Chart without disrupting current workflows?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When a seat becomes too large for one person to handle, it is a sign of healthy growth, but trying to force one person to manage it all leads to burnout and operational failure. You must proactively split the seat before things break.

To do this cleanly, start by defining the two new seats on your Accountability Chart, completely ignoring the current manager for a moment. For example, you might create a Logistics Manager seat and a Customer Service Manager seat. For each new seat, write down five highly specific, non-overlapping core roles.

Next, define the metrics for each seat. The Logistics Manager might own shipping times and inventory accuracy, while the Customer Service Manager owns customer satisfaction scores and response times.

Once the structural seats are defined, evaluate your current manager using the GWC™ framework. Which of these two new seats do they truly get, want, and have the capacity to do? They can only sit in one of them.

Move the manager into their chosen seat, and begin an active search to fill the other seat, either through internal promotion or external hiring. During this transition, keep lines of communication open and use your Level 10 Meeting™ to track the progress of both seats, ensuring a smooth handoff of duties.