My spouse is on our leadership team but is not performing up to standard, and the rest of our executives are walking on eggshells because they are afraid of family drama. How do we handle underperformance when it involves a family member on the leadership team?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Working with family members on a leadership team is incredibly difficult because personal dynamics easily bleed into professional accountability. When a family member is underperforming, the rest of your leadership team will naturally walk on eggshells. They fear that calling out a metrics drop or a missed Rock will cause family drama or backfire on their own careers.

You must eliminate this fear by applying the EOS® tools objectively. First, look at the Accountability Chart. Treat the family member exactly like any other employee. Do they GWC™ their seat? Are they hitting their scorecard numbers? Are they living the core values?

If they are not performing, you as the leader must address it publicly in your Level 10 Meeting™ sessions and privately in your quarterly conversations. You have to make a conscious choice to wear your business owner hat, not your partner or spouse hat. If you cannot hold them accountable, you are telling the rest of the team that the rules do not apply to everyone. This destroys trust instantly. If they cannot meet the expectations of the seat, they must be moved out of that seat, regardless of their relationship to you.