The leader makes the decisions the team cannot make.
Great leadership isn't about making every important decision yourself.
Yue Zhao (Product Leader & Executive Coach) argues that leaders should make the decisions their teams cannot make.
If a team has the knowledge and authority to make a decision, Yue believes they should be allowed to make it themselves.
Leaders step in when teams can't resolve a disagreement, when a decision affects multiple parts of the organization, or when the consequences require accountability beyond the team's scope.
Otherwise, the best teams should be able to operate autonomously.
The leader can check in, ask questions, provide another perspective, and offer support without automatically taking control of the final decision.
This also prevents the leader from becoming the bottleneck every time something important needs to happen.
Strong product leadership isn't about having the final say on everything. It's about creating a team capable of making good decisions without constantly waiting for permission.
Should great leaders actually make fewer decisions?
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