clarify decision rights for team focus

Delivering clarity in response to ambiguity is a real gift a leader can offer to their teams. One way I’ve seen great leaders do this is bringing subtext into text. Another good version is assigning decision rights and, in some cases, offering a fresh rationale for that assignment. In other words, who gets to make this call and why?

You may have good working policy on decision rights already. For good reason, you have already chosen a culture of permission or a culture of constraint. Even so, stuff comes up! Situations are weird. You can never pre-write the rulebook to account for every scenario. The person who normally would decide is on parental leave … while their team is being absorbed into another team … and some key board members expressed misgivings about the whole strategy both teams are being arranged to execute (or whatever).

I’m not arguing here for leaders to rule by fiat or for democracy by default. I’m saying - if you’re the leader, make it clear to the folks with a stake in the outcome who is deciding and how others’ input (of time, effort, viewpoint) will be weighed. This can dramatically lower the transaction cost of the decision. People spend less time and energy on petty politics (like driving, a thing most people think they’re more responsible and good at than they are) and more on achieving a good outcome. You resolve the question of process so everyone can put attention on the question of substance.

-eric