Spot It.
Every question, decision and approval lands on your desk. Your phone rings constantly. When you step away, things stall until you get back. You are the most knowledgeable person in the building, and also the biggest bottleneck in it.
Sight It.
Owners often built the business by doing everything themselves, and the habit stays long after the company has grown. Decision rights were never clearly handed off. When others did make a call, the owner sometimes reversed it, so people learned to check first. And processes and know-how were never written down, so the owner remains the only reliable source of answers.
Solve It.
Start handing off decisions:
- For one week, keep a list of every question and decision that comes to you.
- Sort them into three groups: "only I can decide," "someone else could decide with guidance" and "someone else should decide now."
- Pick three types of decisions to hand off, and tell the people who will own them.
- Give them the information and limits they need to decide well.
- Resist the urge to step back in unless something is seriously off track.
Every decision you hand off frees time for the work only you can do.
Fixed it yourself? Great. Want help making it stick? Talk to a Troubleshooter.