I recently promoted our head of operations to the Integrator seat, but we are struggling with alignment because they are hesitant to challenge my visionary ideas. How do we use EOS to build a healthy, balanced Visionary and Integrator relationship?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

A healthy Visionary and Integrator relationship is built on mutual respect, trust, and the willingness to have healthy conflict. If your new Integrator is hesitant to challenge you, your EOS implementation will stall because the Integrator seat is designed to be the operational filter and execution force of the business. To fix this, you must protect and formalize your Same Page Meetings. Meet weekly or biweekly for a couple of hours, completely uninterrupted, to get on the same page. Use this time to run IDS on your relationship, your boundaries, and your strategic differences. Practice being humbly confident, meaning you must be vulnerable enough to admit you do not have all the answers, and they must be confident enough to speak truth to power. Clearly define the boundaries on the Accountability Chart. As the Visionary, you must surrender the day to day running of the business to the Integrator. Once you agree on the V/TO and the quarterly Rocks, let the Integrator run the weekly Level 10 Meetings without your interference. Encourage them to say no to your shiny new ideas when those ideas distract from the current quarter's priorities. Building this healthy boundary takes time, but it is vital for creating a self-sustaining business.