Importance of Multiple Key Persons

One of your toughest and most important jobs as a business owner is putting the right team of people together, especially those with key roles in the company. Choosing the right people to fill key positions in the company is not easy.

Having different key persons for different key roles in a small business is important. As you develop your business plan, a “management team” needs to be pulled together, with serious thought given to the key positions that need to be filled and who should fill them. Some important key roles are operations manager, accountant or bookkeeper, office manager, marketing manager, and head of sales. Many times in small business there are a few people with multiple key roles. This is not the best way to go, but in the case that your small business requires that one person fill more than key position, it is important to clearly identify the duties and responsibilities of each of their roles.

Placing close friends and relatives in key positions should be avoided, as this can cause conflict, especially if they aren’t qualified to fill the role they need to fill. There are two criteria to justify placing someone in a key position: firstly, training and skills to do the job, and secondly, the track record to prove his/her talents. Perhaps more importantly, key persons should share the company’s vision and mission. Take Apple Computer’s Steve Jobs for example: He is the entrepreneur of the era is because he has missionaries of his company in key roles. Jobs is successful because he is true to his personal mission and demands the same from his staff. Please contact us for help with multiple key persons in a small business.