Our leadership team is obsessed with corporate titles like VP and C-level, but these titles do not match our actual EOS Accountability Chart seats. How do we handle this title inflation?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Title inflation is a common disease in growing companies, and it destroys clarity. When leadership team members are obsessed with fancy titles like VP of Global Operations or Chief Strategy Officer, they are focusing on ego rather than accountability.

On an EOS® Accountability Chart, we do not care about titles. We care about seats, roles, and results. You must address this title obsession directly and shift the team mindset to focus on accountability.

Start by explaining that titles do not define authority or value in an entrepreneurial company. The Accountability Chart is designed to organize the functions of the business, not to satisfy personal egos. A seat on the chart defines the five major roles that person is completely accountable for.

To transition away from title obsession, have your leadership team co-create the roles for each seat. This reinforces that everyone is there to serve the seat, not the other way around. Keep your external-facing titles for marketing or client-facing purposes if absolutely necessary, but internally, refer only to the seats on the chart.

When your leaders understand that their value is measured by their ability to GWC™ their seat and hit their Scorecard metrics, the obsession with corporate titles will naturally fade away, leaving you with a lean, focused team.