Most managers understand the importance of delegation. It’s how you scale a business, develop talent, and avoid burnout. However, while leaders are generally comfortable delegating tasks, far fewer are willing to delegate decisions, and that’s where real organizational growth begins.
At Lone Rock Leadership, we often see this pattern: leaders work hard to empower their teams but unknowingly keep the reins on the very thing that slows the organization down: decision-making.
Why Decision Delegation Matters
Once a decision and a decision maker have been clearly defined, it’s time to take the next step: delegation. Scaling an organization isn’t just about more hands; it’s about more minds making confident, aligned decisions.
If every choice has to funnel up to management or the executive team, growth stalls. Teams move more slowly, innovation suffers, and leaders spend more time approving decisions than actually leading. The organizations that scale fastest are the ones where decision-making authority grows with the people, not just with the hierarchy.
Why Managers Hold Back
So why do so many managers struggle to delegate decisions? It usually comes down to trust, which is built on three critical factors:
Competence and Experience
Managers hesitate when they aren’t confident that a team member has the experience or knowledge to make the right call. Has this person faced a similar situation before? Do they understand the broader context behind the decision?
Speed
Decisions made too quickly can feel reckless, but ones made too slowly can paralyze progress. Leaders need to trust that their people know when to decide and can balance thoughtfulness with momentum.
Buy-In
Great decisions rarely happen in isolation. Managers worry that decisions made at lower levels might skip critical input from other teams, such as marketing, operations, or finance. Ensuring that the right voices are included in the process builds confidence and cross-functional trust.
When trust is missing in any of these areas, managers naturally hold onto decisions. Holding on comes at a cost: it limits organizational learning, slows execution, and keeps teams from developing the judgment they need to lead at higher levels.
Building Confidence in Decision Delegation
If you want decisions delegated to you, or if you want to build a culture that can scale faster, start by evaluating where you (or your team) stand in these three areas.
Ask yourself:
- Do I have the experience or knowledge to make this type of decision well?
- Am I able to move at the right speed, not too fast, not too slow?
- Do I naturally include the right stakeholders when making decisions?
If you see gaps, bring them to your manager. These conversations build trust because they show self-awareness and a commitment to growth. When leaders see you proactively managing your own readiness, they gain confidence in delegating more responsibility (and more decisions) to you.
Scaling Starts with Trust
Organizations don’t scale by adding more people; they scale by multiplying decision-makers. That requires trust, structure, and a shared understanding of what good decision-making looks like.
Delegating tasks will help you keep up.
Delegating decisions will help you grow.
That’s what Decide in 30 is designed to do: help leaders build the clarity, confidence, and trust to make faster, smarter decisions and empower others to do the same.