My co founder and I started this business together, and we both want to occupy the Visionary seat on our Accountability Chart. We are constantly stepping on each other's toes and giving conflicting long term direction to our Integrator. How do we structure our chart to handle two equal partners who both have visionary tendencies?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

A company can only have one Visionary seat on the Accountability Chart. Having two people in this seat creates massive organizational confusion, as the leadership team receives conflicting strategic directions, leading to operational paralysis. You must address this structural defect immediately.

Start by evaluating both partners. The Visionary seat requires someone who excels at big ideas, key relationships, and long range industry trends. It also requires someone who is willing to step back from day to day operations and let the Integrator run the business. If both of you possess these traits, you must decide who is best suited for the seat based on who has the stronger, more aligned long term vision for the V/TO®.

The partner who does not occupy the Visionary seat must move to another seat on the Accountability Chart that matches their strengths, or step back to a pure owner or board member level. For instance, one partner might take the Visionary seat, while the other takes a highly strategic, specialized seat like Head of Mergers and Acquisitions or Chief Product Officer. Both of you must respect the boundaries of your chosen seats and communicate with a unified voice to your Integrator.