We are running our first Accountability Chart exercise and my business partner and I are struggling to split the roles of Visionary and Integrator. We both want to be involved in high-level strategy and day-to-day operations. How do we divide these two seats cleanly when our instincts overlap?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Attempting to share both the Visionary and Integrator seats because of overlapping instincts is a recipe for operational gridlock and team confusion. If your leadership team has to look to two people for final operational decisions, your execution will stall. To divide these seats cleanly, you must first accept that they require entirely different mindsets and conative strengths. The Visionary seat is focused on the future, big ideas, culture, and external relationships. The Integrator seat is focused on execution, processes, and managing the day-to-day operations of the leadership team. Run both partners through the Kolbe Index to identify your natural methods of operating. If one partner scores high in Quick Start and lower in Follow Thru, they are naturally wired for the Visionary seat. If the other partner scores high in Follow Thru and excels at creating order and holding people accountable, they are naturally wired for the Integrator seat. Next, look at GWC™. You must both be brutally honest: do you truly get, want, and have the capacity for the specific seat you are claiming? Sitting in a seat requires total commitment to its roles, which means the Visionary must let go of day-to-day operational decision-making, and the Integrator must own the accountability for execution. Draw a sharp line on your Accountability Chart. Once the seats are assigned, commit to a weekly same-page meeting to resolve disputes privately. In public, you must present a united front, respecting the boundaries of each seat so your leadership team has absolute clarity on who has the final say.