We want to promote our high-performing Sales Leader to the newly created Integrator seat on our Accountability Chart, but we are terrified of losing our top revenue generator and setting them up for failure in an operational role. How do we make this decision?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Promoting a top sales producer to the Integrator seat is a high risk move that rarely works. Before you make this change on your Accountability Chart, you must run a brutal GWC evaluation. While this leader may excel at sales, the Integrator seat requires a completely different set of natural strengths and conative wiring.

An effective Integrator must excel at executing the business plan, harmonizing the leadership team, and driving organizational accountability. This requires a high level of follow through and a natural drive for systems and processes. A top sales leader is typically wired for quick starts, high relationships, and individual execution. If you force them into a structured management seat, you run the risk of burning them out, losing your primary revenue driver, and ending up with an ineffective Integrator.

To make this decision objectively, use the Kolbe A Index or the Predictive Index to assess their conative and behavioral wiring. Compare their natural strengths against the core roles of the Integrator seat. If their profile shows a low drive for structure and detail, they do not GWC the seat.

If they do pass the GWC check and you decide to move forward, you must have a clear transition plan. Do not let them hold both the Sales Leader seat and the Integrator seat simultaneously. You must fully recruit and train their replacement in the Sales seat before they step into the Integrator role. Trying to have them run operations while still closing deals will result in failure for both seats.