We are trying to build our Accountability Chart but are stuck because two of our top leaders insist that they both need to share ownership of our core operational seat. How do we resolve this political deadlock and enforce the EOS® rule of having only one owner per seat?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Sharing a seat on the Accountability Chart is an operational disaster. When two people are responsible for a single seat, nobody is actually accountable. When things go wrong, they will inevitably point fingers at each other, creating confusion and slowing down execution. You must enforce the EOS® rule of having only one name in each seat.

To break this political deadlock, strip the names off the chart entirely. Focus solely on the structure of the business for the next twelve months. Ask yourself what the company actually needs to reach the goals on your V/TO®. Define the five major roles for that specific operational seat without thinking about who will fill it.

Once the seat and its roles are clearly defined, evaluate both leaders against the seat using the GWC™ tool. Ask three simple questions for each person. Do they get it? Do they want it? Do they have the capacity to do it? Be brutally honest.

Usually, one leader will have a stronger natural fit for the actual roles of that seat, while the other might be better suited for a different strategic area of the business. If both leaders truly GWC™ the seat, you as the Integrator must make the tough call and select one owner. You can then look for another seat on the chart that matches the other leader's skills, or accept that you have a structural change to make. Do not compromise the health of your organization to avoid a difficult conversation.