In a recent LinkedIn post, Mark O’Donnell discusses a common leadership pitfall: the tendency for leaders to remain overly involved in decision-making, thereby stifling team potential and hindering momentum. O’Donnell argues that this lack of clear decision-making authority prevents capable individuals from proving their worth and leads to inefficiencies within teams.
O’Donnell highlights a recurring scenario in leadership meetings where talented individuals are present and discussing critical issues, yet no definitive calls are made. The underlying issue, as he identifies it, is not a lack of knowledge but uncertainty about who has the authority to make the final decision. This ambiguity, he posits, is a significant drain on progress.
“That one thing kills more momentum than almost anything else I see in leadership teams.”
The Root of the Problem: Unclear Decision Authority
Drawing upon concepts from Susan Scott’s “Fierce Conversations,” O’Donnell explains that different business decisions reside at varying levels of importance and impact. He observes that many teams operate under the assumption that every decision requires the same level of leadership involvement, which is often not the case.
To address this, O’Donnell introduces a framework that categorizes decisions into four types, each with a recommended decision-maker:
Leaf Decisions
These are the day-to-day, tactical calls. O’Donnell asserts that anyone on the team should be empowered to make these. The danger arises when a leader remains involved, leading the team to stop thinking independently and instead adopt a passive, waiting stance.
Branch Decisions
Decisions impacting a specific team or function fall into this category. According to O’Donnell, the person who owns that function should be the one to decide. He cautions that when these types of decisions are unnecessarily escalated to higher leadership, leadership meetings become bogged down with conversations that are not relevant to their scope.
“Where it goes wrong: when these decisions escalate upward, leadership meetings fill up with the wrong conversations.”
Trunk Decisions
These decisions have implications across multiple parts of the business. O’Donnell suggests that the leadership team, collectively, should be responsible for these. A critical failure point, he notes, is when a single individual makes such a decision unilaterally, and others are only informed afterward.
Root Decisions
Encompassing foundational elements like core values, vision, and long-term strategy, these are the most critical decisions. O’Donnell states that the most senior leaders must make these carefully, with a comprehensive understanding of the business landscape. He warns against treating root decisions with the same level of delegation as branch decisions.
“Where it goes wrong: when root decisions get treated like branch decisions.”
The Leader as a Ceiling
O’Donnell directly addresses founders, stating that if their daily activities are consumed by leaf and branch decisions, they are not truly leading the business but rather running its operations. This, in his view, is how leaders inadvertently become the limiting factor—the ceiling—for their organization’s growth.
“If you’re spending your day in leaf and branch decisions, you’re not leading the business. You’re running it. And that’s exactly how you become the ceiling.”
By clearly defining decision-making authority for each level, O’Donnell believes organizations can unlock greater potential, foster a more proactive culture, and ensure that leadership focus remains on strategic direction rather than operational minutiae.
📝 About This Content
This article is based on insights shared by Mark O'Donnell on LinkedIn.
📅 Originally posted on August 9, 2026 | View original post on LinkedIn →