Knowledge Marketplace
My First Million

My First Million

The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.

Back to Frameworks

High Authority vs Delegated Authority Model

Reusability

Binary leadership approach where you either operate with complete top-down authority or delegate full decision-making authority - never mixing the two approaches

How It Works

Prevents management confusion by clearly establishing who makes decisions and who is responsible for outcomes, avoiding the middle ground where accountability becomes blurred

Components

1

Choose your mode: high authority (you decide) or delegated authority (they decide)

2

Communicate the chosen mode clearly to all stakeholders

3

Stick to your chosen mode even when uncomfortable

4

Take full responsibility for outcomes in high authority mode

5

Provide support without interference in delegated authority mode

When to Use

When managing business operations, especially in small companies where role clarity is crucial for execution speed and accountability

When Not to Use

In collaborative creative environments, when dealing with true partnership structures, or in highly regulated industries requiring shared oversight

Anti-Patterns to Avoid

Being high authority when convenient, delegated when lazySwitching modes based on whether things are going wellMicromanaging after delegating authorityBlaming operators while maintaining control

Example

Either tell your manufacturing CEO exactly how to implement new quality system (high authority) or tell them the outcome you want and let them figure out the method completely (delegated authority) - don't give them goals then dictate the methods