Our leadership team has grown organically, and now every department head wants a seat at the table. How do we determine the optimal size and structure of our leadership team without creating a political war over who gets a seat?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

A common trap for growing businesses is letting the leadership team expand until it becomes an ineffective, slow moving committee. If you have eight, nine, or ten people on your leadership team, your meetings are likely filled with updates rather than real decision-making. To fix this, you must separate ego and titles from the actual structural needs of the company. Look at your Accountability Chart with blank canvas thinking. Forget about who currently sits where, and ask yourself what major functions are absolutely critical to run the business at your current scale. Typically, a highly functional leadership team consists of three to five seats, plus the Integrator and Visionary. These usually cover sales and marketing, operations, and finance. If a department head is not on the leadership team, it does not mean they are not valued. It simply means their seat is tactical rather than strategic. Communicate this change clearly by explaining that a smaller, nimbler leadership team allows the company to make faster decisions and execute more effectively. By focusing strictly on the seats required to run the business, you eliminate political posturing and restore high velocity decision-making to your weekly Level 10 Meetings.