You hired an experienced leader to take responsibility for a team, a function, or a business unit. You expected them to bring sound judgment, lead independently, and give you more time to focus on the broader business.
Six months later, you’re still in every meeting, still approving every decision, and still fielding the same questions you were answering before they arrived. Instead of gaining time, you’ve added another person who needs it.
Before deciding the hire isn’t working, ask yourself: when your new leader makes a decision without you, do you support it or change it because you would have done it differently? In our experience, that response can help explain why decisions keep coming back to your desk.
Asking Permission vs. Taking Ownership
“We need someone who can take ownership” is one of the most common things we hear in leadership searches. You want someone who handles problems, leads the team, and keeps things moving without involving you in every detail.
That person will also bring opinions. They may question an established process, address a performance issue, or point out that approvals are slowing things down. Hiring a strong leader means being prepared for them to challenge how things have been done.
New leaders quickly learn how much authority they actually have. Consider what happens when:
- Their manager reverses a staffing decision that was theirs to make.
- An employee goes around them to another executive, who promises to resolve the issue.
- They introduce a new process within their authority, but the team is told to wait for senior leadership’s approval.
Each situation may have a reasonable explanation. Together, they send a clear message: get approval from above first.
The leader starts asking permission, the team keeps going around them, and senior leadership wonders why this person isn’t operating more independently.
Different Doesn’t Mean Wrong
You understand the history behind decisions, client relationships, and past challenges. Your new leader needs that context, and sharing it is an important part of the transition.
They also bring experience you don’t have. Some ideas will improve the business. Others may work just as well as your approach, even if you would have handled things differently.
If every difference leads to a correction, they may stop offering
Build a Path to Independence
None of this means handing over everything on day one. Trust takes time, and a new leader needs to earn it. Clear expectations and regular check-ins help you build that trust together.
In our experience, hiring teams can usually explain what they want a new leader to take on. The more revealing question is which decisions they’re prepared to hand over.
Agree on:
- Decisions they own: Can they set department priorities, manage employee issues, and spend within an agreed budget?
- When to involve you: Which decisions require consultation or approval?
- Support from other leaders: When employees go around them, will executives direct those employees back?
- How authority will grow: When will you review progress and consider expanding their independence?
Your role is to share context, provide feedback, and give them room to act. Their role is to communicate clearly, follow through, and take responsibility for results.
Spend as much time defining their authority as you do listing their responsibilities. Then ask yourself:
