Our Head of Sales and our Head of Operations are locked in a subtle, passive-aggressive power struggle over who is the true second-in-command behind our Integrator, which is dividing our leadership team into factions. How do we eliminate this jockeying for position and get them back to working as peers?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

This is a leadership team structure problem that usually stems from a lack of clarity in your Accountability Chart. When roles are muddy, ambitious leaders will naturally push boundaries to claim territory, creating factions and destroying trust.

First, your Integrator must step up and assert their role. In the EOS® model, the Integrator is the undisputed leader of the operating business. There is no second-in-command or first among equals on the leadership team. Everyone on that team is a peer, and they all report directly to the Integrator.

Bring this issue to the table during your next quarterly offsite or in your Level 10 Meeting™ using the IDS® process. Call it what it is: a territorial dispute that is hurting the organization. Revisit the Accountability Chart as a team. Ensure every seat has five clear, non-overlapping roles. If sales and operations have overlapping responsibilities, that is where the friction lives. Clean up those boundaries.

Once the roles are clear, make it known that leadership is not about title or proximity to power. It is about execution. If the jockeying continues, it becomes a core values issue. Peer trust is non-negotiable. If they cannot collaborate as equals and respect the Integrator seat, one or both of them may need to leave the leadership team. Cracks at the top always appear as canyons to the rest of the company.