Chief commercial officer being added value

Usually, I don’t draw any conclusions until I have fully read a book, but today will be an exception. Even the portion of the corporate governance guide for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that I have studied so far has prompted me to reflect on the evolution that a sales specialist, a head of sales, and a commercial director typically go through over the course of their careers.

Many are familiar with the company life cycle model proposed by Ichak Adizes. According to it, every business goes through different stages of development, where certain managerial roles need to be strengthened for further growth—or, conversely, decline. I won’t go into the details of this model here; for that, it’s best to refer to the original source. However, Adizes’ perspective on company evolution in terms of management functions, along with the corporate governance framework described in the guide on my desk, is fascinating in the context of understanding how a professional should evolve by expanding their scope of responsibility.

It is not uncommon for individuals to assume a higher position yet continue performing familiar and, perhaps, more enjoyable tasks from their past experience. A commercial director may still actively engage in negotiations with all clients and approve deals, a financial director might personally control expenditures at all levels, and a marketing director may devote most of their time to communications and promotional materials. I’m not saying that personal involvement is bad—not at all. However, a higher role entails greater responsibility and a broader, longer-term perspective. That’s why there is a well-known saying: “Not every sales specialist makes a great manager.” And that is absolutely true—if they do not make, or do not plan to make, a fundamental transition to their new role, there is a high likelihood of misalignment between role expectations and actual activities.

From my own experience, I’ve had the privilege of going through several such transitions. Now, in my new role as a commercial director, I have been reflecting: What should I do? What activities should I undertake to add value to the company? It is important to understand that, no matter how much one wants to, it is impossible to simply do everything. Priorities must be set. Taking into account the company’s goals, the current business model, organizational structure, and decision-making processes, I started asking myself the following questions:

What are the key areas of management within my responsibility?

Simply put, what does the company expect from me? What am I supposed to manage? At this stage, several key focus areas emerged: business administration, team management and development, client/partner relations, and company representation in the market.

What strategic, operational, and tactical tasks exist within each area?

In other words, what actions can (and must) I take in each area to achieve both short-term and long-term results? This is where the shift in focus occurs during career progression: the higher the level of responsibility, the more strategic actions (70%) should be taken, while tactical ones (30%) should be delegated to the team.

What tools should I use to accomplish these tasks?

Digging deeper, I realized that some tasks could be addressed through business trips to regional offices, others through regular team meetings, and some through weekly reports discussed with my team.

As a result, I was able to establish my key priorities, which translated into:

• an annual travel plan for regional visits and partner meetings.

• scheduled meetings with teams at different levels (ranging from one-on-one sessions to "Open Conversations" with the entire department).

• a structured plan for interactions with associations and external partners, among other initiatives.

The mind map in the cover image visually represents what I have outlined here. In reality, it is crucial for professionals to ask themselves the right questions during periods of career growth to understand whether the company’s expectations of them are changing. If they are, then it’s evident that priorities must be reassessed and aligned with the new role.