Client Spotlight: Helping a Growing Team Align on Roles
When the CEO of a fast-growing digital agency came to me, his frustration was clear:
“We don’t know our roles.”
His team was stepping on each other’s toes. Handoffs were unclear. Deadlines were slipping.
The problem: a lack of clarity was slowing them down
The root issue was a lack of defined roles and decision-making clarity. In fact, his team had already told him directly: “We can’t keep working like this.” That’s when he reached out — he knew his team was struggling, and it was time for outside perspective.
We started by taking the whole team through a Fusion diagnostic. Like many companies, the results revealed gaps across the whole system — mission, people and process, finances, and technology.
What we did
We kicked off their Fusion engagement in November, starting with a Clarity Day. The team:
- Defined their roles — and who owned what
- Set a five-to-ten-year destination
- Created clear 90-day objectives
- Established measures to know when each team member is winning
- Designed the culture they wanted, built on compelling values and strong habits
- Built up their problem-solving skills
- Installed a weekly sync meeting to keep everyone in rhythm
The three phases of a first team
At Strategic Matter, we help first teams flourish — making confident decisions, aligning to their destination, and turning plans into action. As companies grow, first teams evolve through three phases:
1. The first, first team. The first group of people beyond the founder to take on key roles — marketing and sales, production, client services, operations. They’re still doing the work while defining the work that needs to be done.
2. The “senior leadership” first team. Over time, the first team becomes the senior leadership team, because new hires are junior to them in tenure. This phase brings growing pains — team members must learn to lead while continuing to contribute.
3. The “intentional” first team. As the company scales, the first team has to grow too. At this stage the founder faces a decision: can this team step up into true leadership roles, where the job is to lead others?
Setting the right foundation for growth
Every growing company has to navigate these transitions. Getting the first, first team on the right footing creates the foundation for healthy growth through every phase that follows.
Want to bring clarity and momentum to your first team? Let’s talk.