3 Forms of Executive Authority: Delegate Authority, Grow Your Team

Quick test for executives: When did you last make a decision your team could have handled, and not delegated authority?

If it was this week, you’re likely strangling your organisation’s growth.

Why? Most executives fall into 1 of 2 delegating authority traps:

1. The Over-Controller hoards decisions.

Teams wait for approvals on routine matters while strategic priorities languish.

The leader drowns in operational details others could handle better.

2. The Authority Denier undervalues the expertise that earned them their role.

They hesitate to convene meetings or make necessary decisions, forgetting their responsibility to lead.

Our Praesta executive coaching prompt Authority: How Do We Use It? shows that leaders have multiple forms of authority

• Your track record brings reputational authority, the right to be at the table

• Your role provides convening authority, bringing people together

• Your relationships create influence that works better than formal power

Here’s the paradox: You build real authority by delegating it.

When you empower teams to make decisions, they develop judgment about when to act independently and when to escalate.

Strong leadership creates followers out of free choice.

It builds trust where people work creatively on challenges together.

Effective leaders know when to step in and when to step back.

They match their approach to what the situation needs.

Stop asking if you have enough authority.

Start asking which type this situation needs.

Share with a leader who gets this right.

This article was originally posted here