You may have missed this article when it was published in September 2015. I’m resharing it now because I often come across companies that could benefit from the timeless content in this post. Hope you enjoy it!
-Mike Kotsis.
As your company grows, everything gets more complex. Keeping everyone in the loop used to be simple, but as more people are added to your team, it can become very cumbersome to keep everyone in the loop. Processes, systems and communications that seemed to happen automatically at one time, don’t occur so easily anymore.
Then it begins to snowball. Workarounds and additional steps get added. Bandages are put in place to cover up the loose ends. Longer hours and working harder become the norm “just to catch up.” At this point it becomes tough to even see what the real issue is.
Sound familiar?
Structural Blind Spots
In a recent session with an EOS client, we were building out their Accountability Chart for the entire organization. The finance executive was instrumental in designing the structure for the sales and operations departments without getting distracted thinking about the people that would fill those seats. (In EOS, we focus on designing the right structure first, then find the right people). When it came to reviewing the finance department, he thought he had done great work and wouldn’t need to make any structure changes. The rest of the team disagreed and felt the finance department’s structure was too complex.
After digging into the issue the team uncovered several personality conflicts on the finance team, which in turn caused the finance executive to work around the challenging personalities. Once this was discovered and we addressed the structure from a clean slate approach, the real issue became clear. The source of the all the confusion and frustration was due to one person in the department. Even though the finance executive was a great help structuring other departments, he struggled to structure his own department because he couldn’t see the issue.
Need to Fix a Messy Structure?
Is your business structured in the simplest and most effective way to hold people accountable? If not, don’t worry. It just makes you normal. Use the Accountability Chart with your leadership team to design the right structure to take your company to the next level. You’ll be glad you did!
Next Steps
- Make sure your company is structured for traction. Download the EOS Accountability Chart.
- Watch this short video about company structure.
- Ready to straighten out your company’s structure? Let’s talk!
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