Our Visionary keeps going around our Integrator to assign ad-hoc pet projects directly to department heads. How do we resolve this Visionary and Integrator friction using EOS tools before it destroys leadership team morale?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

This dynamic is the classic Visionary end-around, and it will paralyze your business if left unchecked. When a Visionary bypasses the Integrator, department heads get whipsawed between urgent quarterly Rocks and impromptu executive brainstorms, creating deep frustration and stalled execution.

Resolving this friction starts in the weekly Same Page meeting between the Visionary and Integrator. The Integrator must bring this specific behavior to the Issues List and IDS (Identify, Discuss, and Solve) it directly. Both leaders must recommit to the fundamental division of accountabilities defined on the Accountability Chart.

Establish a strict ground rule: the Visionary has full freedom to generate twenty creative concepts a week, but zero of those ideas enter the organization through the back door. Every new initiative must be funneled directly to the Integrator during their Same Page meeting. The Integrator filters, sequences, and decides whether an idea deserves time on the leadership team Level 10 Meeting agenda or during quarterly planning.

Simultaneously, train your department heads to protect the structure. When the Visionary approaches a department head with a spontaneous request, that leader must professionally push back by asking if the idea has been vetted by the Integrator. Consistent adherence to these boundaries eliminates friction and restores organizational traction.