Structure protects the marriage. Clarity protects the business.
I see it as our business, but that does not mean we both run everything. Ownership is shared. Responsibility is defined. What helped us was getting very clear on roles. If I hired someone else to do her job, what would I expect from them? What would they be accountable for? That became the standard. Clear SOPs. Clear KPIs. Clear deliverables. Not in a harsh way, just so expectations are not vague. I do not believe two CEOs works. Someone has to make the final call. That does not make the other voice less valuable. I try to genuinely listen to her ideas and think them through together. A lot of good decisions come from that discussion. At the end of the day, every idea goes back to our core directives. For me, one of those is simple. If it is not better for our customers or our employees, we do not do it. That keeps decisions objective and keeps emotions from running the business.
