Our Head of Sales recently left, and our Integrator is temporarily managing our three senior sales reps. The Integrator is completely overwhelmed, but we are not ready to hire a full-time VP of Sales yet. If we put one of the existing reps as an interim manager, it will cause a political war. How do we structure this vacant leadership seat on our Accountability Chart to maintain order without destroying team chemistry?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When a critical leadership seat becomes vacant, attempting to distribute the authority among peers or appointing an unearned interim manager will destroy your team dynamics. The Accountability Chart has a strict rule: there must be one name accountable per seat.

To handle this transition cleanly, the Integrator must put their own name in the VP of Sales seat. This means the Integrator is temporarily holding two seats.

The Integrator must run the sales department and lead the sales Level 10 Meeting™. They should not try to do all the daily sales tasks, but they must own the accountability for the seat's measurables and Rocks.

Do not divide the seat's responsibilities among the three senior reps, as this creates a leaderless committee and sparks political turf wars. The reps must continue to report to a single head, which is the Integrator in their interim capacity.

Keep this interim arrangement highly visible on the Accountability Chart. This sends a clear signal to the sales team that the vacancy is temporary and that you are actively searching for a permanent leader, maintaining stability and focus while you recruit the right person for the seat.