“No, I can’t do it. I’m just the bus driver!” (when asked to chase Truman on the boat, The Truman Show, 1998)”
Defining Precisely What We Need Before Building a Team
Before opening a position or designing an organizational chart, any area leader must dedicate time to something far more critical than merely listing functions: understanding exactly what is expected from the area and which metrics will be used to evaluate its performance.
Knowing the mission is essential, but understanding the measurement framework is equally important.
Well-Defined Objectives and Explicit Constraints
We cannot discuss structure without putting two elements on the table that should never be postponed, as they shape every subsequent decision (if we are going to cook, we need to know which ingredients we’ll actually have):
- Budgeted headcount (the number of employees the company plans to have over a given period, according to planning and budget)
- Allocated salary mass (for a department, the total budget set aside to pay salaries and benefits for the staff working in that area during a defined period)
These two factors should not appear as limitations to lament, but as part of the strategic brief. Likewise, the area must have clearly defined goals and the expected impact on the organization. Only with both dimensions —resources and expected results— clearly defined can we start discussing team design rigorously.
Internalize, Outsource, or Wait
With this information, the manager must honestly analyze which functions are critical and require internal presence, which can be temporarily outsourced, and which are better addressed in later phases.
There is no universal formula valid for all sectors or stages of development; what matters is the ability to make informed decisions based on context and the projected evolution of the area.
Managing the Present with a Vision for the Future
Building a strong team is not just about the current snapshot; it involves a dual perspective:
- Static reading: immediate priorities, processes that must be controlled internally, deficiencies that cannot be left unresolved.
- Dynamic reading: where the company is headed and what capabilities will be needed in 12, 18, or 24 months.
This exercise—seemingly obvious—is often what differentiates a sustainable structure from one that constantly requires reorganization.
The Manager’s Role: Design, Lead, and Adjust
The area leader must not only execute but understand the scenario, anticipate needs, and build with judgment. This responsibility requires experience—especially in complex organizations—because it demands comprehension not only of what needs to be achieved, but also how decisions are made, how resources flow, and how results are measured in practice.
Delegating this task to inexperienced profiles—something I have witnessed firsthand more than once—inevitably leads to misalignment.
“Structural decisions are made with the same lightness as someone going grocery shopping without a list and returning with unrelated ingredients: there may be variety, even quality, but there is no way to cook a coherent dish.”
The same applies to teams: it’s not just about bringing in talent, but about creating a combination that makes sense for the objectives pursued.
This is not an administrative or merely operational exercise. Nor is it delegable to someone who is too “green” to understand context, has never managed a budget, prioritized resources, or faced the consequences of a poorly designed structure. It is a structural task and must be treated as such.
Avoid Well-Intentioned but Dysfunctional Structures
Having capable people in roles that do not match the real needs of the area is not only inefficient; it generates internal friction and slows operational speed. Organizations fail not just due to lack of talent, but due to incoherence in role assignment.
Defining precisely what is needed—both now and in the short-to-medium term—is the foundation to avoid deviations that later require far more costly corrections.
“Why do we have four sofas and no lamp if we are in the dark? Why did we allow someone to make this purchase in the first place?”
Building a team is not just about adding people; it is about aligning resources, expectations, and purpose within an architecture that makes sense.
And one final nuance: not every internal movement is positive by default. Some organizations tend to “reward” certain career paths by offering new positions or lateral moves—not necessarily upward, but to other areas—under the logic of recognizing loyalty or effort.
However, leading an area should never be a symbolic gesture or a corporate medal. In some cases, such appointments should be outright prohibited if there is no real skill fit or deep understanding of context.
Teams are not a testing ground to see who “adapts”; they are a critical structure for achieving business objectives. There are more efficient ways to reward performance.
