Your unit of work is the decision

As an executive, you are responsible for choosing what the business will pursue and providing the conditions for people to succeed. Start by clarifying the results your area must achieve and which decisions you have authority to make.

The decisions you make set direction. Developing your managers’ skills helps them carry that direction into their own decisions and teams. Treat skill development as part of executing the business plan: identify what leaders need to do well and arrange the practice, coaching, and feedback that will help them do it.

Payam and I recommend choosing priorities before approving more work. Compare the business benefit, urgency, and resources each proposal requires. Explain what comes first and what can wait. Check the people, funding, and time the plan requires with the managers responsible for carrying it out.

When commitments exceed capacity, decide within your authority what to reduce, defer, or resource differently. Confirm the revised commitments with the leaders affected.

The open-door trap is becoming the default decision-maker for work your managers have authority to lead. Resolving a request gives an immediate result, which can encourage you to take over again. Before answering, ask what decision they need from you and why.

If the decision belongs to the manager, ask how they would approach it and provide the coaching or information they need. Agree on what should come to you, including conflicts between teams they cannot resolve. Make those decisions in time for the work to proceed.

When a manager identifies a conflict between a stated priority and an executive request, acknowledge the discrepancy and clarify which direction applies.