Agency structure: Multiple roles at growing agencies - Karl Sakas

Quoted on this wiki

Every place a page here uses this source, in the order the words come in it.

1. “As your agency grows, you and your employees tend to become increasingly specialized.” For instance, a designer might stop doing project management on top of their design work. Or instead of handling account management and client strategy, you’ll handle just one.

   In Cross-team accountability model

2. Can agency employees fill more than one role at once? “In a smaller agency, employees will often serve in 2–3 roles at once.” Account Leader + Strategist: Here, the day-to-day client contact (Account Leader) also creates the client’s long-term strategy (Strategist). Clients like having continuous access to their strategist, but this can make the strategy seem less valuable because you’re so familiar to them.

   In Cross-team accountability model

3. Can agency employees fill more than one role at once? “It’s a common practice—but it’s not always a good idea.” Account Leader + Strategist: Here, the day-to-day client contact (Account Leader) also creates the client’s long-term strategy (Strategist). Clients like having continuous access to their strategist, but this can make the strategy seem less valuable because you’re so familiar to them.

   In Cross-team accountability model

4. Speaking of making yourself “Optional” at work—if you want to reduce your day-to-day involvement as an agency owner, consider dropping things in this “checklist” order. “Specialist (since you typically can hire or outsource this work without impacting client-facing relationships)” Delivery Leader (even if you’re detail-oriented, there are more important things for you to run… and if you’re not detail-oriented, delegate this sooner rather than later, because most owners either under-prioritize it or over-manage it)

   In Hybrid operating model design

5. Delivery Leader (even if you’re detail-oriented, there are more important things for you to run… and if you’re not detail-oriented, delegate this sooner rather than later, because most owners either under-prioritize it or over-manage it) “Account Leader (clients love coming to you with requests, but this won’t scale; start by introducing a backup contact, and then move smaller clients to them over time; see this article)” Strategist (it’s hard to find qualified strategists who aren’t you; at many agencies, the owner continues to be the senior strategist, after they’ve first delegated Specialist, Delivery Leader, and Account Leader work to other team members)

   In Account allocation and ownership

6. Strategist (it’s hard to find qualified strategists who aren’t you; at many agencies, the owner continues to be the senior strategist, after they’ve first delegated Specialist, Delivery Leader, and Account Leader work to other team members) “I’d certainly delegate lower-level operations work, but you’ll likely hang onto aspects of Growth (especially thought leadership marketing and the “sales closer” role”).” Question: How do you approach multiple roles and other “combo” jobs at your agency?

   In Team and roles

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