My sibling and I are co-owners on the leadership team, and our personal sibling rivalry is constantly spilling into executive meetings. How do we draw a line between sibling dynamics and our professional seats?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Sibling rivalry on a leadership team is toxic because it forces other executives to take sides or stay silent. To resolve this, you must separate the Owner's Box from the business operating seats. Your relationship as siblings belongs in the family circle, and your status as co-owners belongs in the Owner's Box. Inside the day to day business, you are simply two professionals occupying distinct seats on the Accountability Chart.

You must sign and commit to Our Charter, establishing the three pillars of Trust, Same Page, and Yes to Strategy and Structure. This means committing to open, honest communication and maintaining one vision, one voice, and one team.

When you enter a Level 10 Meeting™ or an offsite, you must leave sibling dynamics at the door. If a conflict arises, use the IDS® process to solve it objectively based on what is best for the organization, not what is personal. If you cannot maintain professional boundaries, you are failing the GWC™ test for your seats. Consider hiring an external facilitator to run your meetings and call out any regression into family patterns.