We finally hired our first true Integrator on the Accountability Chart, but our department heads still bypass them and come straight to me for approvals and tactical guidance. How do I break this reflex without undermining my new Integrator or making my leaders feel cut off?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

This is the most dangerous phase of installing an Integrator. When an owner answers operational questions out of habit, you castrate the Integrator seat, confuse the leadership team, and train your department heads that the Accountability Chart is merely a decorative suggestion.

You must implement a strict redirect rule. The moment a leader approaches you with an operational issue, resource request, or cross-department dispute, ask one question: Have you talked to our Integrator about this? If the answer is no, stop the conversation immediately. Tell them you trust the Integrator to run daily execution and send them down the hall.

Your leadership team will test your resolve. They have spent years learning your personal idiosyncrasies and knowing how to get a fast yes out of you. Bypassing the Integrator is easier for them than adjusting to a new leader who enforces operational discipline. Do not take the bait. If you override the Integrator or privately litigate decisions behind their back, the Integrator will disengage and eventually quit.

Back your Integrator publicly in your Level 10 Meeting™. If you disagree with an operational call the Integrator made, resolve it behind closed doors during your weekly Same Page Meeting using IDS®. In front of the team, present total alignment. You hired an Integrator to run day-to-day operations so you can focus on vision, market strategy, and enterprise value. Let them hold the reins.