Our leadership team has grown to nine members because I wanted every department head to have a voice. Now our Level 10 Meetings feel like a slow, painful series of status reports rather than a sharp strategic discussion. How do I restructure this team without making people feel demoted?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

A leadership team of nine is not a leadership team; it is a committee. When teams get that large, individual accountability vanishes, meetings drag, and real issues are swept under the rug to avoid public conflict. The optimal size for a high-performing leadership team is three to five people, with seven being the absolute maximum.

To fix this, you must redesign your Accountability Chart based on what is best for the business, not based on personal feelings or tenure. Look at the major functions of your business: Sales and Marketing, Operations, and Finance. Every seat on the leadership team must own one of these major global functions.

This means some of your current department heads will no longer sit at the leadership table. Frame this transition clearly and professionally. Explain that the restructuring is necessary to keep the company nimble and focused on scaling. They are not being demoted; their operational roles are still vital, but they will now report to a single leader who represents their function at the leadership table.

By streamlining the team, you will restore the speed and intensity of your Level 10 Meetings. Your leaders will spend less time reporting status and more time using the IDS® process to solve real systemic issues that affect the entire organization.