Our co-founders are currently sharing the Integrator seat while we look for a permanent hire, and it is causing massive confusion for the rest of the leadership team. How do we resolve this temporarily without breaking the system?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Co-founders sharing a seat is a recipe for operational gridlock and organizational confusion. The fundamental rule of the EOS Accountability Chart™ is that there can only be one name in each seat. When two people share a seat, nobody is truly accountable, and your employees will learn to play you against each other to get the answers they want. If you are currently searching for a permanent Integrator™, you must choose one co-founder to occupy that seat temporarily. The other co-founder must step out of that operational seat entirely, even if they remain an active owner or Visionary™. This temporary Integrator™ must have the final decision-making authority for the day-to-day operations of the business. You must document this temporary arrangement on your Accountability Chart and communicate it clearly to the entire company. Let the team know exactly who is running the day-to-day operations and who they should go to for final approvals. This prevents the team from getting caught in the middle of founder disagreements. Having a single point of accountability, even temporarily, maintains the operational speed and clarity your business needs while you execute your search for a permanent leader.