Involve People Before the Decision
“You overstepped your area of responsibility.”
Those were not exactly the words I wanted to hear about a month into a new leadership role.
I had taken over leadership of an organization with several divisional directors reporting to me. During a meeting with the directors, one of them told me—very directly—that I had taken over a responsibility that belonged to them.
For a few moments, you could have heard a pin drop.
And then I realized something uncomfortable.
He was right.
Good Intentions Aren’t Enough
My intention had actually been good. I was trying to make the directors’ jobs easier.
They were handling some routine administrative tasks, and I thought my assistant could take those tasks off their plates. So I made the change.
In my mind, I was reducing their workload.
There was just one problem: I hadn’t asked them.
I had changed something within their area of responsibility without first talking with them about it. I had assumed they would see the change as helpful because I saw it as helpful.
At that moment in the meeting, I had a choice.
I could explain my intentions. I could point out that I was only trying to help. I could defend the logic behind my decision.
Instead, I said:
“You’re right. I should have talked with you before making that change.”
The tone of the conversation changed almost immediately.
There wasn’t much to argue against because I wasn’t arguing.
Instead of debating who was right, we could talk about what would actually work best.
And here’s the interesting part:
The directors ultimately agreed to let my assistant take over some of those tasks.
The outcome wasn’t dramatically different from what I had originally envisioned.
The process of getting there was.
Sometimes the Problem Isn’t the Decision
That experience taught me a lesson I’ve carried with me ever since:
Good intentions don’t replace communication.
And sometimes people aren’t resisting the decision itself. They’re resisting the way the decision was made.
There’s a big difference between:
“Here’s what I’ve decided will happen in your area.”
and
“Here’s what I’m considering. How would this affect you? What am I missing?”
The final decision could be exactly the same.
But the second approach gives people an opportunity to contribute information, raise concerns, point out consequences you may not have considered, and have some influence over a decision that affects them.
Involvement Doesn’t Mean Consensus
Of course, involving people doesn’t mean every decision needs to be made by committee.
Leaders still have to lead.
Sometimes a decision needs to be made quickly. Sometimes there are constraints that can’t be changed. And sometimes, after listening to everyone involved, a leader will still make a decision that some people don’t like.
Involvement isn’t the same as veto power.
It means recognizing when a decision touches someone else’s responsibilities, expertise, workload, or ability to execute—and seeking their perspective before the decision is final, while their input can still matter.
That last part is important.
There’s a difference between asking:
“What do you think?”
when the decision can still be influenced, and asking the same question after everything has already been decided.
People can usually tell the difference.
Before You Decide, Ask Who Needs a Voice
Before making a decision that affects other people, consider:
- Who will be affected by this decision?
- Whose responsibilities or expertise does it touch?
- Who will have to implement it?
- Who might see something I don’t?
- Whose input should I get before I decide?
You may still arrive at exactly the same decision.
But you may also discover a better one.
And even when the outcome doesn’t change, the process can change how people respond to it.
In my case, the directors ultimately supported something very close to what I had wanted in the first place. But now it was something we had discussed rather than something I had imposed. People are much more likely to support a decision when they’ve had a meaningful voice in it.
That’s a distinction worth remembering:
Don’t wait until after the decision to communicate with the people it affects.
Sometimes the most important communication happens before the decision is made.