My partner and I have different visions for the exit but we want to start EOS. How do we establish a binding alignment charter before our first session day to make sure our personal differences do not derail the team?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When business partners are misaligned on their exit goals, starting EOS® without addressing that friction is a recipe for failure. To prevent personal differences from derailing your leadership team, we establish a binding covenant before our first session day.

This covenant, which we call our charter, is built on three essential pillars that both partners must sign off on. The first pillar is trust. You must agree to be completely open and honest with one another in our session days, leaving all historical baggage and personal politics outside the room. The second pillar is the same-page commitment. You must agree to handle conflict with love and respect, resolving your differences privately so you can present a united front to the rest of the leadership team. The third pillar is a commitment to strategy and structure, meaning you both agree to respect the rules of the EOS® framework and abide by the decisions made in our sessions.

If you and your partner have different timelines or expectations for an exit, we use our initial sessions to get those differences out in the open. We write down your individual goals and use the V/TO® to align your personal aspirations with the long-term strategy of the business.

We do not ignore your differences; we IDS® them. By establishing this clear charter at the very beginning, we create a safe, structured environment where you can resolve your partner misalignment and build a cohesive plan that serves both the business and your personal exit goals.