Two of our top-performing account managers want to be promoted to co-heads of Client Success. We do not want to lose either of them, so we are tempted to put both names in the Head of Client Success seat on our Accountability Chart. How do we handle this without causing a departure?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Putting two names in one seat is a recipe for operational gridlock and zero accountability. When two people are responsible for a single seat on your Accountability Chart, nobody is actually responsible. If a metric on your Scorecard drops or a strategic Rock is missed, they will inevitably point fingers at each other, even if they have a great working relationship.

You must respect the rules of the Accountability Chart: only one name can occupy a seat. To solve this, you need to look at your structure before you look at the people. Ask yourself what the business actually needs. Does your current scale justify two separate regional seats, such as Head of Eastern Client Success and Head of Western Client Success? If yes, split the seat structurally and assign one to each person.

If the business only needs one Head of Client Success, then only one person can sit there. You must make the tough decision and place the person who fully GWCTMs the seat in it. For the other person, have an honest, transparent conversation. Explore if there is another seat in the organization that matches their unique abilities, or help them understand that structure dictates our roles. Bending your Accountability Chart to soothe employee egos always leads to downstream operational failure and destroys the clarity your team needs to execute.