Our Integrator is also sitting in our Head of Sales seat. He is a phenomenal salesperson, but because he is constantly out chasing big deals, our internal systems are breaking and our weekly Level 10 Meetings are falling apart. He refuses to give up the sales seat. How do we address this on the Accountability Chart?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

An Integrator who is also sitting in the Sales seat is a major bottleneck. The Integrator seat is designed to harmonize the leadership team, drive accountability, and manage the day-to-day operations of the business. The Sales seat is designed to drive revenue. These are two distinct, high-energy seats that require completely different mindsets.

When your Integrator is out closing deals, the operational engine of your company is left running without a driver. This is why your internal systems are breaking and your weekly Level 10 Meetings™ are losing their impact. To resolve this, you must use your Accountability Chart to illustrate the conflict. Map out both seats and list the roles for each. It will become immediately clear that one person cannot successfully fulfill the roles of both seats at your current scale.

You must have an honest conversation using the GWC™ tool. Your Integrator must choose which seat he truly wants and has the capacity to run. If he is happiest closing deals and wants to remain in Sales, you need to transition him out of the Integrator seat and hire a dedicated Integrator. If he wants to remain the Integrator, he must delegate the Sales seat to a dedicated sales leader. Having one person occupy both seats permanently will stop your company from scaling.