We have decided to split our combined Marketing and Sales seat into two separate seats to prepare for scaling. Both our current Marketing Manager and our senior Sales Director want the new Head of Growth seat, and they are both excellent performers. How do we decide who gets the seat without creating a massive internal turf war?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

This is a classic structural evolution that often triggers ego battles. To resolve this without destroying your culture, you must run both candidates through the GWC filter against the newly defined seats.

Start by detailing the exact roles and responsibilities for the new Head of Sales seat and the new Head of Marketing seat on your Accountability Chart. Once the roles are clear, sit down with each leader and evaluate them objectively. Do they truly Get, Want, and have the Capacity for the specific seat they are angling for?

Often, a great sales director wants the Head of Growth seat because of the title and perceived authority, but they do not actually want to manage lead generation metrics, brand positioning, or marketing tech stacks. They want to close deals. Conversely, a great marketing manager might lack the capacity to manage a direct sales pipeline and quota-carrying reps.

Be direct and honest with them about what each seat demands. Explain that splitting the seat is necessary to scale the business and prepare for an exit. If you make the decision based strictly on who best GWCs the defined roles, the turf war ends because the decision is grounded in data and structural necessity, not personal favoritism.