The Three Essential Roles in Every Successful Company

Greetings Operators!

Here is a short form on something I’ve noticed plaguing smaller companies. Understanding Business Archetypes can

• prevent frustration

• increase productivity

• unlock new growth in your company.

Here is how to think about communicators, builders, and executors👇️ 

SHORT ISSUE
THE TRIPLE THREAT

Your team is likely suffering from talent dilution. Even with smart, capable people, effectiveness plummets when individuals are forced to operate across multiple role types. The solution? Recognize and honor the three distinct roles that exist in every organization.

When people work primarily within their natural role, their impact multiplies. When forced to operate outside it, their effectiveness collapses. Successful organizations balance three distinct roles that operate in harmony.

COMMUNICATORS, BUILDERS, EXECUTORS

Every thriving company needs these three essential roles working in concert:

Communicators: Your organizational nervous system. They obtain and distribute information, keeping everyone aligned with the vision. They're in meetings, having conversations, and maintaining an "open door" policy to ensure information flows freely.

Builders: Your system architects. They construct the foundations and frameworks that allow work to flow smoothly. Builders need "closed door" time for deep focus to create solutions that scale operations.

Executors: Your revenue generators. These front-line producers directly create value through consistent, daily output. They take systems built by builders and turn them into tangible results for customers.

Critical insight: These roles are mutually exclusive. When individuals try to operate in multiple roles simultaneously, they dilute their energy and effectiveness. A communicator forced to build systems will create subpar solutions while neglecting their vital information-sharing function. A builder trapped in executor mode will never create the scalable systems your company needs to grow.

TACTICAL BREAKDOWN: THE STRATEGIC FLOW

The magic happens in the deliberate flow between these specialized roles:

👉️ Communicators → Builders: Communicators translate company vision and customer needs into clear requirements, helping builders prioritize the right systems to create.

👉️ Builders → Executors: Builders design frictionless systems that amplify executors' productivity, removing obstacles and creating leverage.

👉️ Executors → Communicators: Executors provide real-world feedback from customers and market interactions, keeping communicators grounded in reality.

This strategic flow creates a powerful cycle: vision becomes systems, systems enable production, and market feedback refines vision. When this cycle works, companies evolve and scale organically, building precisely toward strategic goals without wasted effort.

When the flow breaks down or roles blur, companies drift:

• Communicators building = wasted communication potential and subpar systems

• Builders in constant meetings = no deep work and strategic stagnation

• Executors interrupted = lost revenue and market disconnection

👉️ Quick Audit: Are your communicators spending at least 60% of time communicating? Do builders get 3-4 hour blocks of uninterrupted time? Are executors spending less than 10% of time in meetings?

NEXT STEP

Map your organization: Identify each team member's natural role (communicator, builder, or executor) and track where they're spending their time for one week. Look for misalignments where someone is operating outside their strength zone for more than 20% of their time. Then, redesign workflows to protect each role's unique contribution: create meeting-free days for builders, establish clear communication channels for communicators, and eliminate interruptions for executors.

Remember: The goal isn't to create silos, but to establish a clear flow where everyone contributes from their zone of genius.

💡 Quick Win for Next Week

Implement "Role-Aligned Days": Choose one day next week where you'll protect each role type:

• Builder Tuesday: No meetings before 2pm, giving builders 5+ hours of deep focus time

• Communicator Wednesday: Schedule key alignment meetings and updates, freeing communicators to do what they do best

• Executor Thursday: Eliminate all non-essential interruptions, allowing executors to achieve maximum output

Just this one-day experiment will demonstrate the productivity boost that comes from role alignment. Track results and use the data to advocate for more permanent role-protective policies.

Remember: The goal isn't to create silos, but to establish a clear flow where everyone contributes from their zone of genius.

🔥 Hot Take of the Week 

Your company is suffering from "role pollution." Most organizations fail not because they lack talent, but because they demand everyone be a jack-of-all-trades. When you force your natural communicators to build systems, your builders to handle customer interactions, and your executors to attend strategic planning sessions, you're sabotaging your company's potential. Specialization isn't a luxury—it's the foundation of organizational success.

What's Working for You?

Hit reply and let me know: Which of these three roles do you naturally gravitate toward, and what's one change you could make tomorrow to better align your work with that strength?