We have three family members and two long-term friends on our leadership team who currently hold highly customized hybrid seats. How do we transition to a structure-first Accountability Chart without causing a major family rift or destroying these key personal relationships?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

To transition to a structure-first Accountability Chart without damaging critical relationships, you must completely separate the business's structural needs from the individuals currently filling roles.

Design the Optimal Structure First

• Design a clean structure: Collaborate with your leadership team to design the optimal organizational structure for the next 12 months. Focus purely on what the business needs to scale and thrive.
• Ignore current personnel: Crucially, design this structure without putting any names in the boxes. This removes personal bias and allows for an objective view of organizational requirements.
• Prioritize business needs: This approach ensures that the new Accountability Chart reflects the organization's needs for future growth, not just existing team members' historical roles. You can find more insights on designing the chart with an exit in mind in [how an owner should use Thinking Time to design the next iteration of the Accountability Chart](/qa/thinking-time-accountability-chart-exit-prep).

Apply the GWC Filter and Core Values

Once the optimal structure is locked, the next step is to evaluate each individual, including family and friends, for every newly defined seat.

• Apply the GWC filter: For each potential seat, assess if the individual:
• Gets it: Do they understand the role's responsibilities and how it contributes to the larger vision?
• Wants it: Are they enthusiastic and motivated to perform the duties of this specific seat?
• Has the Capacity to do it: Do they possess the skills, time, and mental/emotional bandwidth to excel in the role?
• Assess against Core Values: Alongside GWC, ensure they align with your company's Core Values. A strong cultural fit is essential for team cohesion and long-term success. The importance of Core Values cannot be overstated; learn about [handling top performers who violate Core Values](/qa/handling-top-performers-who-violate-core-values).
• Avoid compromises: If a long-term friend or family member does not GWC a newly designed seat, you cannot keep them in it simply to maintain harmony. This compromises the business, fosters resentment among other team members, and limits your company's growth potential. For deeper insights into performance issues within family leadership, refer to [how to handle family performance issues](/qa/family-members-on-leadership-team-performance).

Direct and Compassionate Conversations

The conversations that follow the GWC assessment must be handled with both directness and compassion.

• Explain the evolution: Clearly explain that the business has evolved, and the new structure is designed to support the next level of growth and achieve the company's Vision.
• Offer suitable alternatives:
• If possible, offer them a seat that they do GWC, even if it's a smaller role with less authority. This allows them to remain a valued contributor in a position where they can succeed.
• Consider creating a specialist seat to retain their expertise if they've hit a management ceiling but still offer unique value to the company, as discussed in [restructuring a seat for a legacy leader who has hit their management ceiling](/qa/restructuring-seat-for-legacy-leader-hitting-ceiling).
• Make hard decisions: If no suitable seat exists, or if they refuse to accept a different role, you must be prepared to make the difficult decision to transition them out of the company. Keeping the wrong person in a seat is a disservice to both the business and the individual, as it prevents both from reaching their full potential.