Our company has doubled in size over the last two years, but our leadership team structure is still based on the same organic roles we had when we were small, resulting in overlapping responsibilities and constant finger-pointing when things go wrong. How do we objectively redesign our leadership structure without triggering an executive turf war?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Overlapping responsibilities and executive finger-pointing are clear signs that your leadership team structure has outgrown its current design. When a company doubles in size, the old organic roles that worked during your startup days will inevitably break under the weight of new operational complexity.

To resolve this without triggering an executive turf war, you must regularly assess your leadership team structure. Step away from the personalities currently sitting in the seats and look at the business objectively. Rebuild your Accountability Chart from scratch based entirely on what the organization needs to reach its next level of scale over the next twelve to eighteen months.

Define the essential functions of each seat, the specific measurable outcomes they must deliver, and how they interact with one another. Only after you have designed the ideal, clean structure should you begin matching names to the seats using the GWC™ tool.

Explain to your leadership team that this restructure is about building an exit-ready organization that runs smoothly, not a reflection of their personal worth. By focusing on the structural needs of the business first, you remove the emotion from the conversation and build a more cohesive, functional, and healthy team.