We recently updated our Accountability Chart, but two of our key leaders are still stepping on each other's toes due to legacy habits, leading to turf wars and delayed decisions. How do we enforce strict role boundaries when leaders refuse to let go of their old duties?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Overlapping responsibilities and role confusion on the leadership team are major drivers of operational drag and political friction. When key leaders step on each other's toes, it is usually because they are operating under outdated, informal agreements rather than the strict definitions of your Accountability Chart.

To resolve these turf wars, you must conduct a focused review of your leadership seats. Bring the affected leaders together and review the five major roles defined for each of their seats on the chart. Ask them to identify exactly where the boundaries are blurring and where decisions are getting stuck.

Use the IDS® process to resolve the overlap. If a specific responsibility is shared between two seats, you must assign it to only one. In an effective organization, there can only be one owner for any given task or metric. Having two owners means nobody is truly accountable.

Once the chart is updated, the leaders must commit to respecting the new boundaries. If a leader continues to interfere in another department's domain, call them out immediately during your weekly Level 10 Meeting™. Enforcing strict role boundaries is essential for maintaining team health, driving accountability, and scaling your operations cleanly toward an exit.