We designed our Accountability Chart and realized that one of our co-founders is sitting in three different seats, and none of them are being run effectively. How do we resolve this multi-seat bottleneck without causing a massive partnership rift?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When a co-founder is sitting in multiple seats and failing to execute, it is a capacity bottleneck that will stunt the growth of the entire company. To resolve this without destroying the partnership, you must separate the owner role from the operational seat. Start by looking at the Accountability Chart objectively. The chart must be designed for the business first, ignoring the names of the people currently in the company. Once the ideal structure is defined, you must apply the GWC™ test to every seat. Explain to your co-founder that running three seats poorly is not a personal failure; it is a capacity impossibility. No one has the time or focus to excel in multiple major operational roles as the business scales. The goal must be to transition the co-founder into the single seat where they have the greatest passion and ability, then delegate or hire for the other seats. This requires a mature, ego-free conversation focused on what the business needs to succeed. Navigating these sensitive ownership dynamics is one of the primary reasons to work with an EOS® Implementer. An external guide can facilitate these high-stakes conversations objectively, keeping the focus on the health of the organization rather than personal identities. This ensures you make the right structural decisions to scale the business and prepare for an eventual exit.