We have two highly capable managers who both deserve to lead our sales division. To avoid hurting anyone's feelings or losing one of them, we are considering making them co-directors of sales. Why is this a bad idea, and how do we resolve this without losing a top performer?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Creating co-director seats is an operational disaster. When two people are responsible for a seat, nobody is responsible. It is a classic move to avoid conflict, and it always results in political infighting, mixed messages to the team, and stalled decision-making. Your desire to avoid hurting feelings today will destroy your sales execution tomorrow.

The Accountability Chart is built on a fundamental rule: only one name can sit in a seat. You must have one person who is ultimately accountable for the results.

To solve this, you must evaluate both managers against the newly defined sales leader seat. Look strictly at GWC™. Who gets the seat intellectually? Who wants the seat and the pressure of leadership more? Who has the capacity to lead, manage, and hold people accountable?

Once you make the choice, sit down with both individuals. Explain the structural necessity of having a single point of accountability. Present the decision clearly.

For the person who did not get the lead seat, look for other high-value seats in your organization. Frequently, one of them is a brilliant individual producer who does not actually want the daily burden of managing people once they understand the role.

Offer them a path that rewards their performance through advanced technical roles, strategic account management, or individual contribution. If they cannot accept the reporting structure, you must let them go. Keeping them in a compromised co-lead structure will only cripple your growth.