Our team is struggling with the concept of having one person occupy multiple seats on the Accountability Chart. They feel it is confusing and makes us look understaffed to potential buyers. How do we explain and manage this?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

It is completely normal for leaders in a growing company to occupy multiple seats on the Accountability Chart. However, if your team is confused or worried that this looks unprofessional to potential buyers, you must educate them on how buyers actually view organizational structure.

Private equity buyers and strategic acquirers do not care if a single person holds multiple seats, provided the structure itself is healthy and scalable. What terrifies buyers is structural ambiguity, where it is unclear who is accountable for what. A clear Accountability Chart with one name in multiple seats shows that you understand the work required to run the business and have assigned clear accountability for every function.

To manage this effectively, use these rules:
- Always design the Accountability Chart for the needs of the business first, completely ignoring the people you currently have.
- Once the ideal structure is built, place names in the seats, even if one person's name appears three or four times.
- Ensure that when a person is operating in a specific seat, they are fully accountable for the metrics and deliverables of that seat.

As you prepare for a clean exit, use this visual representation to identify which seats need to be handed off first. This clear plan shows buyers exactly how the business can transition smoothly without relying on a single, overworked founder.