Costello: Look, you gotta pitcher on this team? 
Abbott: Now wouldn't this be a fine team without a pitcher. 
Costello: The pitcher's name. 
Abbott: Tomorrow. 
Costello: You don't wanna tell me today?

From “Who's on First” comedy act by Abbott & Costello

Abbott & Costello's baseball routine is one of the classics of comedy. The general premise has Costello, a prospective coach named Sebastion Dinwiddle, talking to Abbott who is Dexter Broadhurt, the manager of the mythical St. Louis Wolves. However, before Abbott takes the job, Dexter wants to make sure he knows everyone's name on the team. Because it's Abbott & Costello, much hilarity and confusion reign when Abbott tries to find out who's who and what their position is. In real life, it's not so funny when your employees don't know who's in charge or what their (or your) position is in the company. continued

In my experience, the worst situations result from working partners (often spouses) who don't make it clear to themselves, or to their staff – who is in charge of the business. Just having each spouse in charge of specific areas of the business doesn't cut it. While it's a step in the right direction to have one person responsible for marketing and the other in charge of finances (for example) you still need to designate one person who has the ultimate decision-making authority for the business.

If you don't, you will have a dysfunctional business. Your employees, at best, will be confused. You'll likely be giving them conflicting directions. At worst, they'll take advantage of the situation and play one of you off the other like dueling violins. Either case assumes you'll have decisions to be confused over. More likely, important decisions will be put off because no one wants to make the final call. The business either will limp along or wander around in meandering circles.

I'm not saying this person with the ultimate decision-making authority should make unilateral decisions without input from the other spouse or working partners, or board of advisors. Nor am I saying they'll always make the right decision - or that your business will be conflict-free. But the right person, with input from the right people, generally gets it right.

How do you decide which person should be in charge? It takes an honest appraisal of a couple of things: your personality, your strengths and weaknesses, and your commitment to the business. You must be able to be completely honest with yourself and your partner. You might also get the opinion of some trusted advisors as well. It starts with the simple question, “who is the best person to lead this business?” Get your ego out of the way! I'm not saying it's easy or fun, it's just something that you must do if you truly want your business to succeed.

Everything else in your organization's structure flows from this. Now you can create your organizational chart. Whether it is vertical or flat, multi-layered or not, that's up to you. Just be clear between yourselves who's in charge and then communicate that clearly to your staff in your words, actions, and intentions. Now you've got a fine team with a pitcher.

*Want to hear Abbott & Costello's classic routine, Who's On First? Visit http://www.phoenix5.org/humor/WhoOnFirst.html to download an mp3 clip of the routine.