I have a key executive who is temporarily sitting in both the Sales seat and the Marketing seat on our Accountability Chart, and they are neglecting marketing because they prioritize sales. How do we manage the operational tension of a leader wearing two distinct hats?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Sitting in multiple seats on the Accountability Chart is common in growing companies, but it requires extreme discipline to avoid operational bottlenecks. Your leader must understand that they are wearing two separate hats, not one combined hat. To manage this tension, the leader must allocate specific, non-negotiable blocks of time to each role. They cannot simply work on whatever feels most urgent, which is usually sales because it is closer to immediate revenue. During their designated marketing hours, they must focus entirely on the marketing roles and responsibilities outlined on the Accountability Chart. They must treat these roles as if they were reporting to an outside manager. If the leader continues to neglect the marketing seat, it is a clear indicator of a capacity issue. You must use the GWC™ tool to evaluate if they truly have the capacity to manage both seats. If they lack the time or energy to do both well, the leadership team must treat the empty seat as a priority hire. Use your weekly Scorecard metrics to track the performance of both seats independently, which will make the operational gap highly visible and push you to resource the seat properly.