Our office manager currently owns both our finance and human resources seats on the Accountability Chart. As we prepare the company for a future exit, we know buyers will scrutinize both areas closely. How do we split these combined seats without creating organizational friction?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Combining finance and human resources into a single administrative seat is common in early-stage companies, but it creates a massive bottleneck and a serious red flag for sophisticated buyers. Finance requires analytical precision and strict controls, while human resources requires people-focused advocacy and compliance management. These are fundamentally different skill sets.

To split these seats successfully, start by mapping out the future-state Accountability Chart that a buyer would expect to see. Define the five key roles for a dedicated finance seat and a dedicated human resources seat.

Next, evaluate your current office manager against both seats using the GWC™ tool. It is highly likely they only truly GWC™ one of these areas. For example, they might be excellent at bookkeeping and financial reporting, but lack the capability to build a modern talent acquisition and retention program.

Once you identify which seat they fit best, place them there. For the remaining seat, you must either hire a specialized professional or engage an outsourced partner. Explain to your office manager that splitting these seats is not a demotion, but a necessary step to allow them to focus on what they do best while preparing the business for a highly successful transaction.