In many organizations, decisions are like water in a clogged pipe; everyone feels the pressure building, but nothing moves until the executive team finally gives the green light. Senior leaders grow frustrated that every question, big or small, ends up on their desks. Meanwhile, mid-level managers feel equally frustrated and powerless, unsure of what they can decide on their own. The result is slow progress, missed opportunities, and a culture where speed and trust break down.
At Lone Rock Leadership, we see this dynamic play out all the time. The problem isn’t that leaders don’t care or that managers lack talent. The problem is that most organizations never install a clear decision-making system, and without it, bottlenecks are inevitable.
The Myth of Group Consensus
Many leaders assume decisions should be made by consensus, but experience and research show otherwise. Groups don’t make great decisions; people do. When a team is filled with smart, diverse thinkers (as it should be), expecting everyone to fully agree is a recipe for stalemate. You can’t get a family to agree on a restaurant for Friday night dinner, so why expect a cross-functional team to align on a complex strategy without a clear process?
Consensus sounds collaborative, but it often creates confusion, slows progress, and leaves everyone frustrated. Instead of chasing unanimity, great leaders focus on clarity: What decision needs to be made, and who is the decision maker?
Define the Decision and the Decision Maker
The first step to eliminating bottlenecks is surprisingly simple. Before discussions begin, define two things:
The decision itself: What exactly needs to be decided? Scope it tightly. A vaguely defined decision invites endless debate.
The decision maker: Who ultimately owns the call? This isn’t about hierarchy, it’s about responsibility. The decision maker should gather input, consider trade-offs, and then make the call. Everyone else provides insight and perspective but understands they are advising, not deciding.
When teams know what is being decided and who is deciding, conversations become sharper, timelines shorten, and trust builds. People may not agree with every outcome, but they understand the process and can rally around the decision once it’s made.
Empower Managers to Decide
For this system to work, mid-level managers must be empowered to own decisions within their sphere of responsibility. Too often, executives unintentionally train managers to defer upward by second-guessing their calls or swooping in to “fix” things. Breaking that cycle requires a shift in both mindset and practice:
- Clarify boundaries: Define which decisions managers are expected to make independently and which require escalation.
- Support, don’t override: Offer guidance and coaching, but resist the urge to take over.
- Celebrate decision-making: Recognize managers who make timely, well-informed calls, even if every outcome isn’t perfect.
Empowerment doesn’t mean managers operate without input or accountability. It means they are trusted to lead, gather insight, and move forward without waiting for permission on every choice.
From Bottlenecks to Breakthroughs
When decisions are defined and decision makers are empowered, the impact is immediate. Teams move faster. Meetings become more purposeful. Executives regain time to focus on strategy instead of refereeing operational debates. Perhaps most importantly, trust grows at every level of the organization.
Decisions don’t have to be bottlenecks. With a clear process and a culture of empowerment, leaders can replace endless debate with confident action. The result is not just faster decisions, but smarter ones, made closer to the work and embraced by the people who will carry them out.