Our department heads are hiding behind their titles on the Accountability Chart rather than actually leading their teams. How do we use the five levels of leadership to move them past positional authority and get them taking true accountability for their seats?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When department heads hide behind their titles, they are operating at Level 1 of leadership, which is purely positional. This is where people follow them only because they have to. To run EOS® successfully, your leaders must transition to higher levels of leadership. They must start by moving to Level 2, which is based on permission and relationships, and Level 3, which is centered on production and delivering results. The Integrator must use the Accountability Chart and the GWC™ tool to facilitate this transition. Hold your department heads accountable to their five core responsibilities listed on the chart. If they are failing to lead, manage, and hold their teams accountable, they are not demonstrating the consistent competence required for their seat. Teach them to accept full responsibility for their team's metrics and Rocks, avoiding blame or excuses when targets are missed. Use the quarterly pulsing sessions to evaluate their leadership progression. Encourage them to invest in their direct reports, moving them to Level 4, which is people development. This means they are actively training their successors and helping their team members master their own seats on the Accountability Chart. By clearly defining what leadership looks like at each level and using the GWC™ framework to evaluate their performance, you can push your department heads past simple positional authority and build a team of highly effective, accountable leaders.