Unleash Potential: Empower Decision-Making with Marquet

Image credits: Josue Michel / Unsplash

Empowering decision-making at all levels is vital. David Marquet, ex-submarine captain and leadership guru, advocating for "pushing authority down to information". This approach accelerates decision-making, boosts employee engagement and enhances organisational agility. Let's look into how leaders can adopt this concept.

Marquet's model challenges traditional leadership structures, arguing that they're ill-equipped for modern business complexities. Instead, he proposes a leader-leader model, empowering everyone to assume leadership roles based on their knowledge and expertise. This shift requires leaders to relinquish control and trust their teams.

Implementing Marquet's model involves clarity of vision, competence and courage. Everyone must understand the long-term vision and goals, aligning their decision-making accordingly. Investing in team training ensures wise, responsible decisions. Encourage a culture where initiative is rewarded and mistakes are seen as learning opportunities.

Gallup research shows companies with highly engaged workforces outperform their peers by 147% in earnings per share. A significant driver of this engagement is the feeling of empowerment employees experience when trusted to make decisions. Furthermore, a Harvard Business Review study found that decentralising the decision-making process leads to higher employee retention rates, greater innovation, and faster response times to market changes.

To adopt the Marquet approach, start by delegating small decisions to lower levels within the organisation. This builds trust. Clearly define the limits of decision-making power to prevent overreach and ensure alignment with organisational goals. Create feedback mechanisms for learning from the outcomes of decisions, promoting a culture of continuous improvement. Leaders must model the behaviour they wish to see, showing vulnerability and encouraging others to lead.

Adopting Marquet's concept of empowering decision-making requires a fundamental shift in mindset from leaders and a commitment to developing a culture of trust and accountability. By focusing on clarity, competence, and courage, organisations can create a more agile, engaged, and innovative workforce.