One of our department heads has the title and seat, but she consistently passes her toughest decisions and tasks back up to our Integrator, claiming she needs approval. How do we use the Accountability Chart to stop this reverse delegation and force her to own her seat?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Reverse delegation occurs when a manager fails to own the authority that comes with their seat, and the Integrator allows them to do it. To stop this behavior, you must use your Accountability Chart as a hard boundary. Sit down with the department head and pull out the chart alongside her seat description. Review the five core roles of her seat. Point directly to the role that corresponds to the decisions she is passing up. Ask her directly: Do you pass the GWC check for this seat? Specifically, do you get, want, and have the capacity to make the final call on these issues? If she says yes, remind her that the seat on the chart carries the complete authority to make those decisions without checking in. The Integrator’s job is to manage the leadership team, not to do their jobs for them. The next time she tries to pass a decision up, the Integrator must refuse to make it. Instead, use the Level 10 Meeting to coach her on how to analyze the issue, but make sure she is the one who walks out of the room with the to-do item and the accountability to execute. If she continues to resist owning her decisions, you have a GWC issue, and you must find someone who actually wants the responsibility of the seat.