Businesses change, fast.
One day you’re operating from your kitchen table or back bedroom during evenings and weekends.
The next you may be juggling many-digit revenue, a team of experts and demanding clients or customers, day-in day-out.
When you’re in the thick of it, the transition can be blink-and-you-miss-it.
And before you know it, the systems which worked at the start are no longer fit for purpose.
Signs that change is needed
There was probably a point when running your business started to feel harder than it should.
Maybe the work got a bit slower, or it became harder to make decisions. Or you notice people stepping on each others’ toes more than they used to.
It’s easy to assume this is a performance issue, but more often than not it’s to do with roles and responsibilities.
And at its worst, it can mean things fall between the cracks and your business suffers.
Typically, the problem isn’t that roles are poorly defined. It’s that they haven’t been revisited – and things have changed.
When a business is smaller, roles tend to be fluid: people do what needs to be done, and there’s overlap but it works.
As the business grows, that same flexibility starts to cause problems. Tasks get duplicated and decisions sit with the wrong person.
Collaboration becomes confusion.
Start with what needs to be done
So how do you update the way you work?
A common reaction is to jump straight into rewriting job descriptions. But, in my experience, that usually means you’ll simply edit what’s already there.
Instead, it’s worth stepping a little further back:
What actually needs to happen in the business right now?
Redefining roles and responsibilities is an ideal moment to reflect on what your business needs to operate at its best.
What are the main jobs that need to get done? What decisions need to be made (and might often go unmade)? Where are things slowing down?
It’s only then that you should look at who is responsible for what, so that roles follow the work – not the other way around.
While we’re talking about decisions: I’ve just written a brand new guide and I’d love you to take a look. It’s called How to Make Better Business Decisions and is designed to make it easier to get your business where you want it to be – all in a quick step-by-step process. It’s based on my years of experience not just as a coach but building my own businesses – and even better, it’s completely free.
Next, match the ideal to the real
How does your sketch of what the business needs compare to what roles you have today?
A quick comparison should reveal:
- Where two people (or more!) are doing the same job in different ways
- Tasks that everyone assumes someone else is handling
- Decisions that always end up with the same person
- Work that gets done through informal workarounds
These are all signs that responsibilities aren’t clear. And if you spot any – great news, you can fix them as you go.
One of the biggest causes of confusion is shared ownership, so check that every key area of the business has just one person accountable for it. That doesn’t mean they have to do everything, but it does mean they’re responsible for making sure it gets done.
It’s also important to make sure that they have the authority they need to oversee that area. If someone owns an outcome, they need the power to make the relevant decisions to act on it.
It will make things run a lot more smoothly, help people feel empowered and trusted, and take plenty of work off your plate as well.
Finally, make it official
It’s entirely plausible you’ve completed the first few steps on your own – in some cases, advisable even.
But fully redesigning roles from the top is risky: not only could people feel cut out or disgruntled, but you’re likely to miss out on a lot of valuable clarity from the rest of the team.
Ask them:
- What feels unclear?
- Where do things get stuck?
- What are you doing that probably shouldn’t be yours?
You’ll get practical answers, and you’re far more likely to land on something that actually works.
Plus it gives you the perfect launchpad to share your initial plans – to get buy-in and enthusiasm.
If you’ve done it the right way, as you redefine responsibilities things should feel clearer and less chaotic. Naturally there may be adjustment time needed, especially if the change is major, but as people settle in your business will feel ready for the next stage of evolution.
P.S. And then keep it under review
Roles and responsibilities aren’t something you fix once.
As the business changes, roles will need to shift with it, so it’s helpful to review them when the business grows, or your priorities change.
I typically advise my clients to consider it a core part of their regular business planning. Because once there’s a clear problem, they’ve probably already waited too long.
If you’d find it helpful to have a chat about the unique way your business is structured, drop me a line.
Kind Regards,
Chris