They say
“I don’t have the authority to make those decisions.”
Your response
“You shouldn’t be accountable for decisions you’re not allowed to make. Let’s identify which decisions you need, which I retain, and where you need access or approval.”
First, check this
Have you given the employee the decision rights, access, and approval route they need to deliver what you assigned?
Why this works
Delegation fails when responsibility moves but authority does not. The response takes that structural problem seriously and makes the decision boundary explicit. Some decisions may properly stay with the manager, but the employee still needs a timely route to obtain them. This page is about formal authority and access; the related micromanagement page is about how much visibility the manager needs once the employee is able to act.
Don’t say
“Just use your judgment.”