As the Visionary, I feel like I am still the ultimate decision-maker for every department because my leadership team refuses to take ownership of their seats. How do I get my leaders to step up and stop treating me like their boss instead of their peer?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

As a Visionary, it is easy to fall into the trap of micro-managing and making every decision, which accidentally conditions your leadership team to remain passive. If they have to run everything by you, they are not truly owning their seats on the Accountability Chart.

To break this bottleneck, you must let go of the vine. Start by enforcing strict boundaries based on your Accountability Chart. Every seat must have clear roles and measurable scorecard metrics. If an issue falls within a leader's department, they have the authority and responsibility to make the decision.

When a leader brings a problem to you, stop giving them the answer. Instead, ask them what they recommend. Use the IDS® process during your weekly Level 10 Meetings™ to force peer-to-peer problem solving. If they attempt to delegate the decision back to you, push it back to their seat.

Additionally, evaluate your leaders using the LMA framework. Do they truly have the capacity to lead and manage? If a leader consistently refuses to take ownership, they may not GWC™ the seat. But if they have the capability and are simply waiting for your permission, you must step back. Your job as the Visionary is to provide the long-term vision and big ideas, while your Integrator and leadership team manage the execution.