The Remarkable Leadership Podcast

What does it mean to empower your team to make good decisions? Chris Seifert tells Kevin that empowerment is more than a buzzword, it requires leaders to build both the competence and confidence of their team. Chris shares his decision-making framework designed to address two critical organizational issues: poor root cause analysis and ineffective decision-making in complex environments. Through real-world examples, Chris reveals how clear "decision rights" can transform organizations, empowering teams while enabling leaders to focus on strategic priorities. He also shares that it’s important to document the decision-making process to prevent hindsight bias or the curse of knowledge.

Listen For

00:00 Introduction
02:27 Empowerment and Shared Leadership Overview
03:26 Chris’s Career Background
05:18 Challenges in Root Cause Analysis and Decision-Making
06:00 Defining Empowerment
07:12 Building an Engaged Workforce
08:46 Addressing Micromanagement and Codependency
10:08 Disconnect Between Empowerment Goals and Execution
12:10 Micromanagement Doom Loop Explanation
16:12 Importance of Confidence and Competence in Decision-Making
19:26 Decision Rights and Guardrails for Leaders
22:01 Empowerment Through Incremental Decision-Making Authority
24:12 Documenting Decisions: "Show Your Work"
25:54 Decision Traps: Hindsight Bias and Learning from Decisions
26:54 Decision Traps: Curse of Knowledge
28:30 Leadership Challenges with Decision Execution
29:49 Chris’s Hobbies: Fishing and Volunteer Firefighting
30:24 Books Chris is Reading: Mindware and Thinking, Fast and Slow
31:09 Where to Learn More About Chris and His Work

Chris' Story: Chris Seifert is the author of Enabling Empowerment: A Leadership Playbook for Ending Micromanagement and Empowering Decision Makers. He is the founder of Enabling Empowerment, an initiative dedicated to transforming organizational leadership and enhancing team performance. With over 20 years of experience in manufacturing operations and strategic advisory, Chris’s mission is to empower leaders to elevate their organizations and teams through innovative strategies and methodologies. Chris’s notable achievements include leading a renewable energy company through significant growth, expanding revenue from $450 million to $1 billion, increasing plant production by over 200%, and delivering over $300 million in EBITDA improvements. He also founded a successful Operational Excellence Practice at Wilson Perumal and Company serving clients across North America and Europe. His extensive background as a decorated Naval Officer further underscores his strategic expertise and commitment to excellence.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherseifert/

https://enablingempowerment.com/

https://www.youtube.com/@EnablingEmpowerment