The image of a leader who takes charge, sets the strategy, and owns outcomes is burnished into the mind.
The archetypal leader who elevates the performance of others and drives the team toward success is also imagined to be wise, confident, and decisive.
Making decisions that influence the trajectory of team success is what we believe these strong leaders do. That’s where the stereotype leads us astray.
The truth is that good leaders do their best to push as many decisions as possible down to others on the team. As a rule, they delegate every decision that they can.
They know they can’t lead effectively by owning or holding too many decisions essential for team success. With any decision that needs to be made, they first ask who else can take it and make it.
The efficiency and speed of decision-making depend on this delegation. Without empowering others to own as many decisions as possible, leaders soon become a bottleneck for getting things done.
A team that waits for the leader to make the call is ineffective until they receive a resolution. As decisions pile up, the team gets bogged down in the red tape of inefficiency.
In contrast, teams and team members who are used to making decisions feel trusted, are more engaged, and exhibit agility in the face of changes and challenges.
They not only learn to respond more quickly to unfolding events, but they also develop their judgment and decision-making skills in the process. When elevated and asked to lead their own teams, they are better prepared for the job.
Yet another reason for leaders to delegate decisions has to do with making the best use of their time. By depending on others to own and execute decisions, leaders can focus their attention on direction, strategy, and other issues that require their unique experience and expertise.
Leaders must never delegate strategy to others. But to accomplish that and still maintain the momentum of team progress, they must share decision-making on nearly everything else.
The best leaders reserve their decision-making rights only for those choices and issues that will have a major and lasting impact on the team. If it doesn’t involve strategy, the default should be to delegate the decision to others.
Any leader swamped with what they perceive to be a host of critical decisions that only they should or can make is usually fooling themselves. If the team is waiting on you, they are waiting too long.
