Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! Whether you celebrate or not, I hope you take a moment to appreciate the people you love in your life.
This month’s topic is about trust – the kind leaders need to give their teams. I want to share a breakthrough moment I witnessed recently that perfectly illustrates what happens when a leader made the (often uncomfortable) move to clarify decision rights.
A senior director told his quality team: “You don’t need my approval to resolve routine deviations anymore. Here’s what you CAN decide, here’s what you MUST escalate, and here’s the boundary between them.”
Within three days, his backlog dropped by 40%. Same people. Same capability. The only thing that changed? Clarity about what they were trusted to decide.
Theory
Decision rights are the invisible architecture of problem-solving speed. When they’re unclear, capable people freeze. When they’re clear, the same people fly.
Here’s the framework I use with clients:
Level 1 – Decide and Act (No approval needed)
- Clear boundaries
- Known solution within standard practice
- Low risk / reversible
- Example: Routine quality investigations following established procedures
Level 2 – Decide, Inform, and Act (Tell someone, but don’t wait)
- Slightly novel situation
- Medium risk / some irreversibility
- Stakeholders need awareness
- Example: Process adjustments that affect other teams’ work
Level 3 – Recommend and Wait (Get approval first)
- High risk / irreversible
- Significant resource commitment
- Strategic implications
- Example: Major process changes affecting product quality or regulatory status
The problem in most organizations? Everything defaults to Level 3. Even routine problems that should be Level 1 get escalated “just to be safe.”
This doesn’t create safety – it creates bottlenecks.
My thoughts
What struck me about this director’s approach was the level of clarity he gave about boundaries. He didn’t just say “you’re empowered” (which is vague and scary). He said “here’s exactly what you can decide, here’s exactly what you must escalate, and here’s how to tell the difference.”
That specificity is what created speed without creating risk.
I watched his team transform in real-time. In our first session, they were tentative, asking permission for everything. By the end of week two, they were confidently solving problems the same day they identified them. Not because they suddenly became more capable, but because they finally knew where their authority began and ended.
Here’s what I’ve learned over the years: people don’t need permission to solve problems – they need clarity about boundaries. Once they know what they can decide within regulatory and quality constraints, they move fast and responsibly.
The real gift a leader can give their team isn’t empowerment (which is abstract). It’s crystal clear decision rights (which is concrete). That’s the kind of trust that unleashes problem-solving.
How to
Want to establish clear decision rights for your team? Here’s how:
- List your top 3 recurring problem types that currently require your approval (quality issues, process improvements, resource allocation, whatever takes up your time)
- For each problem type, define the boundaries:
- What characteristics make it routine vs. novel?
- What makes it low-risk vs. high-risk?
- What makes it reversible vs. irreversible?
- Map each scenario to a decision level:
- Level 1 (Decide and Act): Most routine instances
- Level 2 (Decide, Inform, Act): Gray area cases
- Level 3 (Recommend and Wait): True exceptions
- Create simple decision criteria your team can use without asking you
- “If X, Y, and Z are true, you can decide”
- “If any of A, B, or C are true, escalate to me”
- Test it for a week and refine based on what you learn
The goal isn’t perfect boundaries – it’s clear enough boundaries that people can act confidently.
Call to action!
This February, give your team the gift of clarity. Pick ONE recurring problem type and map out clear decision rights using the framework above.
Watch what happens when capable people finally know what they’re trusted to decide.
Let’s unleash problem-solving speed through clarity!
Want to catch up on any newsletters you may have missed? Check them out here.
Enjoying this newsletter? Share it!
Received this email from a friend or want to learn more?
Click the link below to visit our website, sign up, or book a meeting.
Eli Sharp.
