Ten decisions that shouldn’t reach the owner’s desk

At Verde & Rowe, the two owners logged every decision that reached them over two weeks. Of 212, about 170 could have been made by a manager with a clear rule. Most owners are in the same position. They don’t need better managers. They need clearer limits.

The rule

A decision belongs at the lowest level that has the information and the accountability for the outcome. Your job is to set the limits, not to approve every item inside them.

Ten decisions to hand off

For each, set a dollar or percentage limit and write it down. The examples are starting points; adjust them to your size.

1. Purchases under a set amount, for example $5,000

2. Routine supplier orders inside an agreed budget

3. Customer credits and refunds up to a set amount

4. Discounts up to a set percentage off the price book

5. Overtime and schedule changes inside the weekly labor budget

6. Replacement hires for roles already in the budget

7. Routine customer complaints and how to resolve them

8. Delivery and logistics exceptions

9. Minor equipment repairs

10. Meeting and reporting formats for each team

What stays with you

Pricing strategy, major hires, capital spending above your limit, key customer and supplier relationships, and anything touching the bank or legal exposure.

How to roll it out

• Write the limits on one page and share it in a team meeting.

• Say it plainly: “Inside these limits, you decide. Tell me afterwards.”

• Review the list monthly for the first quarter, and raise limits as trust builds.

• When someone makes a call you wouldn’t, ask what information they used before you correct them.

What to expect

The first month feels uncomfortable, and some decisions will be made differently than you’d make them. That’s the cost of getting your time back. At Verde & Rowe, owner time on daily operations fell from about 55 hours a week to about 25 in eight months, and late deliveries went down, not up. Read the Verde & Rowe case study.