“Even on holiday, I still get calls almost every day.” I heard this from a leader in a coaching session. They wanted more ownership in their team: people making decisions and moving work forward without asking permission at every step.
I understand that wish. But ownership in your team also asks something of you. Can you live with someone making a choice you would not make yourself? Or do you mainly give people room as long as the outcome matches what you had in mind?
When you are away, it becomes particularly clear which decisions really belong to your team. A phone that keeps ringing on holiday can be a reason to look at your agreements and your own behaviour.
Ownership means more than working independently
I struggled with this in my own time as a leader. I thought I gave people plenty of room. Until someone in my team approached something in a way I would never have chosen. My first instinct was to step in. The plan was not completely irresponsible; it simply did not match my expectations.
If every different choice still needs your approval, the final judgement remains yours. Your employee may carry out the work, but has little say in how it happens. That can be an appropriate arrangement for a particular assignment. It becomes confusing when you call that arrangement ownership.
Ownership means being responsible for a clear result and having the authority to make decisions within agreed boundaries. It also means being able to explain what was decided, why and with what consequences. Accountability is part of it.
What does your team learn from your corrections?
Imagine an employee drawing up a schedule. It meets the deadline and reflects the agreed priorities. You would choose a different sequence, so you change it anyway. Next time, the employee asks you to approve the proposal first.
That may look cautious or dependent. It can also be an understandable response to what happened before. If your preference keeps having the final say, asking permission becomes an efficient way of working.
Ask yourself what you do when someone takes initiative. Do you explore their reasoning? Or do you immediately explain how you would handle it? And when you intervene, can you name the agreement or interest that is at stake?
Make decision-making authority specific
“Could you take care of this?” says little about the authority someone is being given. Can your employee agree a deadline with the client? Choose a different supplier? Spend a limited amount? Or does all of that require discussion first?
Clarify four things when assigning work: the result needed, what the employee can decide independently, the boundaries and when consultation is required. Also discuss the information, time and support available.
For example: “You draw up the schedule and agree it with the client. The delivery date and budget are fixed. If either comes under pressure, we discuss it before you make a new commitment. You decide how to distribute the work.”
People then do not need permission for every step, while knowing when you need to be involved. An employee still learning the task may also need guidance. Agree what you will look at together and which decisions they can already make independently.
Let a different approach stand
The most important test comes after the conversation about authority. Someone chooses an approach you are not used to. Do you honour the agreement, or take the decision back?
Start with a question: “What did you take into account?” Your employee may see something you have missed. There may be good reasons for taking another route. Or there may be a risk they have not considered. You can discuss that without immediately taking over the whole task.
Giving people room does not mean every choice is a good one. When a boundary is crossed, a serious risk arises or a responsibility remains yours, you do need to act. Explain why. That helps your team distinguish a relevant boundary from your personal preference.
Use your absence as a mirror
Look at the last few questions you received while you were away. Which genuinely needed your decision? Which arose because information was missing? And when did someone have the authority to decide but apparently not feel able to use it?
You do not need to respond by banning all calls. Discuss one recurring type of decision and make a better agreement about it. Also arrange who is available if something genuinely goes wrong. Changed expectations work better when you discuss them beforehand than when you suddenly stop responding.
In leadership coaching, we explore how you take responsibility and give others room. If the same uncertainty exists between several leaders, management team coaching can help clarify roles, responsibilities and decision-making authority together.
The question is concrete: do you want your team to independently carry out decisions you have already made, or may they also make choices that differ from your preference? Your answer becomes visible in what you do when that actually happens.
