The person connecting everything
In a young business, the founder often connects the whole operation. They remember a customer promise, approve an unusual discount, settle a staffing question and explain why an order matters. Their knowledge helps the company move while formal systems are still developing.
As work grows, that same pattern can become a queue. A team member has the task but lacks a decision rule. Information stays with the founder, and everyday exceptions wait for attention.
Find the decisions that keep returning
Start with a short decision log. For one working week, record the recurring approvals that reach the founder: what was requested, why it needed escalation, what evidence was used and how long it waited. Avoid treating every escalation as a problem. Some decisions should remain with leadership.
Look for repeatable decisions whose logic can be made explicit. A hypothetical exception to a delivery promise may depend on availability, cost and customer impact. The aim is to describe that judgement clearly enough for an authorised person to apply it.
Delegate a decision, with its boundaries
A practical decision rule contains more than a job title.
- The decision: the specific choice the person may make.
- The boundary: the amount, risk or conditions within their authority.
- The evidence: the information that must be checked first.
- The exception: the conditions that require escalation.
- The record: where the decision and its reasoning are kept.
Use a narrow pilot
Choose one repeatable decision and one accountable role. Review the first examples together. Check where the rule was unclear, where information was missing and whether a different boundary is needed. Expand the scope only when the evidence supports it.
The founder can then devote more attention to the decisions that require their judgement. The team gains a usable operating rule, and the organisation retains that knowledge when people are absent or roles change. Independence grows through visible authority and a reliable review rhythm.
For one recurring approval, write down the decision, authority boundary, evidence requirement and escalation rule.