My spouse and I both sit on our five-person leadership team, but our personal dynamics and private discussions are leaking into the office, making the other three non-family leaders feel like decisions are already made before our Level 10 Meetings even start. How do we set clean boundaries?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When two members of a leadership team are married, their relationship can easily compromise the trust of the entire group. If the rest of the team suspects that decisions are being negotiated at the kitchen table before the Level 10 Meeting™, they will stop engaging in healthy conflict. This destroys the cohesion of the team.

To fix this, you must establish strict rules of engagement. Agree that no major company business is decided outside of the official EOS® framework. Every strategic issue must go on the Issues List and be solved collectively through the IDS® process.

During your leadership meetings, you and your spouse must act as peers, not partners. You must be willing to disagree publicly and constructively. Ask the other team members to call you out immediately if they feel you are acting as a unified front or bypassing the team.

Your non-family leaders need to know their voices carry equal weight on the Accountability Chart®. If you cannot maintain this boundary, one of you may need to step out of the leadership team. A self-sustaining business requires a professional, unbiased leadership structure that potential buyers will trust.