Fear of the Integrator Seat

Recently I took a new company through the Accountability Chart exercise. The Accountability Chart is the tool that gives structure to a business, allowing each member to fill the role that fits his or her Unique Ability^®.

As we were going through the exercise the assumption was that the owner would go in the Integrator seat, bringing clarity and keeping the team focused on accomplishing the business plan.

As the discussion continued, everyone agreed that the owner was definitely a Visionary and belonged in the Visionary seat, and many thought he belonged in the Integrator seat as well. Then the sales leader spoke up and said, “I think Joe should go in the Integrator seat. He handles most of those roles and responsibilities now, and he’s the one that’s in every day, knows every department and how they tick.”

So, the debate began, at first very timidly. Joe could not fathom himself in that seat – after all, he was newer to the company. What authority did he have to make decisions for the whole company? However, as the discussion progressed, it became clear that the owner had thought of Joe often for such a role. He was his go-to person to get things done, he put some reality to the owner’s ideas, and on occasion even shot the idea down. The owner knew he couldn’t be there every day, nor did he want to be.

The debate continued, but most thought that the owner should stay in the Integrator seat on the Accountability Chart.

Now that we had identified who would own the seat, it was time for a real-time performance review to see if the owner GWC’d the seat (G is for Get it, W is for Want it and C is for Capacity to do it.) For more on GWC™, read this post.

When evaluating GWC for a person and a seat, you simply answer Yes or No for each question. In order to fill a role with the right person, you must answer Yes for all three – they must Get it, Want it, and have the Capacity to do it. If any answer is No, then they are the wrong person.

As we went around the table, each leader gave a real-time performance review for the owner in the Integrator seat. The conclusion was that while the owner Got it, he didn’t Want it, and many weren’t sure he had the Capacity or Unique Ability® to do it. Clearly the owner was not the right person for the seat.

We then tried putting Joe in the seat. As we went through the same exercise, giving Joe a real-time performance review, he received three Yes votes from everyone on the team. It was clear that Joe was the right person for the Integrator seat, and he confidently agreed to fill the seat on the Accountability Chart moving forward.

Don’t Let Fear Hold You Back

Don’t let fear of the Integrator seat hold your company back. Clearly define the Integrator role in your company and make sure you have the right person leading your organization. As a dynamic duo, the Visionary and the Integrator are the key ingredients an entrepreneurial company needs to get to the next level. The Visionary/Integrator relationship is a two piece puzzle. Even the most inspiring Visionaries cannot do it all, and the ideal Integrator will fill the void, seal the gap, and complete the winning formula.

Next Steps

• Download a free chapter of the book Rocket Fuel: The One Essential Combination That Will Get You More Of What You Want From Your Business.
• Watch this video: Why Entrepreneurial Companies Need a Visionary and Integrator.
• Take the Rocket Fuel Assessment to find out if you’re a Visionary or an Integrator. The Rocket Fuel Assessment was created by EOS Founder Gino Wickman and EOS Certified Implementer Mark C. Winters to help create the most powerful Visionary/Integrator duos on the planet.

This post originally appeared on the EOS Worldwide Blog on March 14, 2013.