Our Head of Operations is temporarily sitting in our Head of Sales seat as well. These two seats have naturally competing priorities: Sales wants to close every deal quickly, while Operations wants to pace onboarding to protect service quality. Our growth is stalling because she is struggling to balance these roles. How do we manage the internal conflict when one leader wears two competing hats?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Naturally competing priorities are healthy for a business because they create a natural system of checks and balances. However, when one individual sits in both of these seats, that healthy friction is lost, and the business either stops selling or collapses operationally.

To resolve this, the leader must maintain a strict split personality during your weekly Level 10 Meeting™. She cannot let her operational worries kill sales opportunities, nor can she let sales pressure destroy operations. She must use objective data from your Scorecard to make decisions, rather than relying on her personal anxiety.

But wearing both hats is exhausting and unsustainable. As you prepare your company for an exit, this dual-hat scenario represents a major vulnerability that buyers will flag during due diligence. It shows that your business lacks leadership depth.

Your immediate priority must be to get her out of one of those seats. Look at your V/TO® and your cash flow to determine which seat you can afford to fill first.

If you hire a dedicated Head of Sales, she can return to focusing 100% of her energy on Operations. The healthy friction between Sales and Operations will return, and both departments will have a leader who truly has the Capacity to drive their respective Rocks.

Until you can hire, set very clear boundary metrics on your Scorecard. For example, limit the number of new clients onboarded per week to protect operations, while keeping the sales pipeline full. This provides a temporary structural guardrail while you work to separate the seats permanently.