We have two highly capable co-directors of business development who work exceptionally well together and want to share our Head of Sales seat. Can we place both of their names in this single seat on our Accountability Chart?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

The short answer is absolutely not. In the EOS framework, a core rule of the Accountability Chart is that only one person can own a seat. When two people are placed in the same seat, accountability instantly dies. If two people are responsible for a target, then nobody is actually responsible. When a ball is dropped, it is inevitable that each person will assume the other was handling it, or they will point fingers at each other.

This does not mean you have to terminate one of your co-directors. It simply means you must split the seat. You need to analyze the specific roles within that Head of Sales seat and divide them into two distinct, clearly defined seats.

For example, you can create one seat for Eastern Region Sales and another for Western Region Sales. Or you can have one seat focused on New Account Acquisition and another focused on Key Account Retention. Each of these new seats must have its own unique set of five roles and responsibilities, and each must have only one name assigned to it.

Both of these seats will then report to the Integrator or whoever is leading the revenue function. By establishing clear, individual ownership, you eliminate confusion, stop the finger-pointing, and allow both of your high-performing business development leaders to thrive in their respective domains. True alignment requires absolute clarity on who is ultimately accountable for every single number and process.