My spouse is our head of HR on the leadership team, but she is failing to keep up with our growth and the other team members are walking on eggshells because they are afraid of bringing up her issues. How do I address this without ruining my marriage or destroying team accountability?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When your spouse is on the leadership team, normal business dynamics are distorted by personal history. Your team members will not give her honest feedback because they fear a domestic backlash. To fix this, you must run her through the same cold, objective EOS filters you would use for anyone else. First, look at the Accountability Chart. Does her seat actually require a full-time executive, and does she GWC, which means does she Get It, Want It, and have the Capacity to Do It, for that seat? If the company has outgrown her capacity, you are doing both the business and your marriage a disservice by keeping her there. You must separate the marriage from the seat. Have a frank conversation outside the office. Explain that for the business to reach its next level, the HR seat needs to scale. If she does not GWC the scale of that seat, you need to transition her. This could mean moving her to a specialized individual contributor role or helping her transition out of the business entirely. To restore trust with your leadership team, you must openly address the change in your next Level 10 Meeting. Let the team know that the rules of accountability apply to everyone, including family. When they see you hold your spouse to the same standards as everyone else, the eggshells will disappear and true accountability will return.