We are scaling rapidly to close our value gap before selling the business, and our Head of Operations is completely overwhelmed. Should we split the Operations seat into two separate seats on our Accountability Chart, or should we just hire subordinates to report to him?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When a leader is overwhelmed, you must diagnose whether the issue is structure or capacity. Do not rush to split a seat without a clear strategic reason.

First, look at your Accountability Chart and define the ideal structure for the next stage of growth, ignoring the current people. If the operational function has genuinely grown into two distinct, high-level strategic areas, such as logistics and manufacturing, then splitting the seat makes sense.

However, if the function is still unified but the volume of work has simply increased, you should keep one name in the Head of Operations seat and hire subordinates under them to handle the tactical execution. This preserves the rule of having one clear head of the department who is ultimately accountable.

If you split a single functional area into two co-equal seats too early, you create confusion, turf wars, and a lack of clear accountability. Ensure your Head of Operations passes GWC™ for managing a larger team. If they have the leadership capacity, hiring direct reports to free up their time is the most stable way to scale and maintain a clean structure for potential buyers.