My business partner and I are split on who should lead our sales and marketing department, so we have put both of our names in the Sales and Marketing Director seat on our Accountability Chart. Our team is getting conflicting directions, but we do not want to offend each other by choosing one leader. How do we resolve this co-leadership structural defect?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

You have a major structural defect that will stall your growth and frustrate your team. The Accountability Chart has one nonnegotiable rule: only one name can sit in a seat. When you put two names in a single seat, you divide accountability by two, which equals zero. Your team is receiving conflicting directions because they do not know who has the final say.

To resolve this, you must apply the Trust Equation. Your hesitation to choose one leader likely stems from a fear of damaging your relationship, which points to high self-orientation. True professional trust means putting the health of the organization first.

First, use a dedicated Thinking Time session to map out the exact roles of the Sales and Marketing Director seat. Typically, this seat owns marketing strategy, sales conversions, and customer acquisition.

Second, evaluate both partners using GWC. Who genuinely gets it, wants it, and has the capacity for the daily operational grind of managing this department?

Third, assign one partner to the seat. The other partner must step out of that box entirely. If both partners must remain in the department, you must split the seat into two distinct, lower-level seats, such as a Sales Manager and a Marketing Manager, reporting to a single leader. No exceptions.