We are trying to build our first real Accountability Chart, but my leadership team keeps designing seats around the specific skills and comfort zones of our existing employees instead of what the business actually needs to hit our three-year target. How do I force them to put structure before people when they are terrified of hurting their direct reports' feelings?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Designing seats around existing personalities is the fastest way to institutionalize mediocrity. To break this habit, you must lead your team through a blank-slate exercise. Physically or digitally erase all names from your discussion. Instruct your leadership team that for the next two hours, the existing staff does not exist. We are designing the ideal structure to run a company of our size and complexity to hit our three-year targets.

Focus entirely on the functions. Every business needs three major functions: Sales and Marketing, Operations, and Finance, led by an Integrator. Define the five major roles for each seat based purely on what must be done to drive success. If a seat requires cold calling and database management, list those roles, even if your current sales rep hates both activities.

Only after the entire structure is completed and agreed upon by the leadership team do you begin matching names to the seats. When you finally layer your people over the chart, you will inevitably discover gaps where a long-term employee does not GWC™ the newly defined seat. Do not change the seat to fit the person. Instead, identify the gap, put it on your Issues List, and use your Level 10 Meeting™ to IDS® (Identify, Discuss, Solve) how to train, transition, or recruit for that seat.