Our two senior warehouse managers insist on co-holding the Director of Supply Chain and Logistics seat because their skills overlap and neither will report to the other. How do we break this deadlock on the Accountability Chart without losing a critical leader?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

The EOS rule is non-negotiable: when two people are accountable for the same seat, nobody is accountable. Putting two names in the Director of Supply Chain and Logistics seat guarantees friction, mixed signals to frontline staff, and endless finger-pointing whenever shipments miss targets or inventory counts fail.

First, isolate the structure from the individuals. Step back and define what the business actually requires to hit its numbers over the next twelve months. List the five major roles required for that functional seat. You will usually discover that Supply Chain and Logistics encompasses two distinct functions: inbound procurement and vendor relations on one side, and outbound warehousing, fulfillment, and fleet dispatch on the other.

If operational complexity and volume justify it, split the seat into two distinct seats on the chart: Inbound Supply Chain Manager and Outbound Logistics Director. Both report to your Integrator or Operations leader, each with five distinct accountabilities and separate scorecard metrics.

If company scale does not warrant two leadership seats, you must make a hard decision. One person gets the Director seat based on the People Analyzer and GWC: who truly gets it, wants it, and has the capacity for the leadership role. The other person moves into a specialized senior individual contributor or operational seat, such as Fleet Operations Lead or Inventory Control Architect, reporting to the Director.

Present this as a structural necessity for company growth, not a personal demotion. If one leader refuses to report to the other despite fair compensation and clear authority over their domain, you do not have a structural problem; you have a core values or ego problem. Protect the business first.