For the first three years, I handled all sales myself. When I hired an admin, it freed me up to focus on selling — and we grew. But eventually I hit the same ceiling. Sales was still running through me and I was the bottleneck again.
We were growing at 15 to 20% year over year. Solid, but limited by my capacity. When I finally defined a sales manager role — the responsibilities, the expectations, the compensation structure — and hired into it, growth jumped to nearly 30% year over year with no increase in sales costs.
The role clarity wasn't just about finding the right person. It was about giving that person everything they needed to believe they could succeed before they ever started. A clear role attracts a confident hire. A vague role attracts someone willing to figure it out — and that's your problem to manage.
It defines a role completely — responsibilities, success metrics, communication expectations — so your hire knows exactly what they own and how they'll be measured. No guessing. No constant questions.
Complete one worksheet per role before you hire or promote into it. Share it during onboarding and revisit it at the 90-day mark. A role that isn't written down isn't really defined.
💡 Thinking Prompt: What would need to be documented for someone to do this role without asking?
Role Title: ___
Reports To: ___
Date Created: ___
Role Summary: In 2–3 sentences, what does this person do and why does it matter?