Even though we have built an Accountability Chart with clear seats, my leadership team still runs every major decision by me before taking action. How do I force them to fully own their seats and stop treating me as the ultimate decision-making bottleneck?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

If your leadership team still runs every major decision by you, you have a hub-and-spoke problem. This dynamic prevents your company from scaling, limits your exit valuation, and burns you out. It happens because you have not truly handed over the reins or because your team fears making a mistake.

To break this bottleneck, you must operationalize your Accountability Chart. Every seat must have clear, documented roles and measurable Scorecard metrics. Once these are defined, you must actively practice letting go of the vine.

When a leadership team member comes to you with a question or a decision that falls within their seat, do not answer it. Instead, ask them what they think the correct decision is, and prompt them to make the call. Remind them that they GWC their seat and have the authority to make decisions within their domain.

Build trust and safety by letting them make mistakes without immediate criticism. If a decision goes wrong, use it as a learning opportunity during your next Level 10 Meeting or quarterly session, rather than stepping back in to micro-manage. By empowering your leaders to make decisions and holding them accountable for the outcomes, you will build a self-running operation that is highly attractive to future buyers.