Most leadership problems are not personality problems. They are design problems.

When decisions are unclear, teams slow down. When responsibility is fuzzy, politics fills the gap. When information is hidden, people hedge instead of acting.

I recently wrote down the principles I use to run my organization. Much of it we already lived, but some things had never been said out loud. This is the generalized version — a first braindump, not a letter from above.

Seven principles

1. Decisions belong where knowledge and responsibility meet. Good decisions don’t happen at the top of a hierarchy. They happen where competence and context come together. Everyone should decide as much as possible themselves — because it produces better results, makes us faster, and it’s how people grow.

2. If you lead, you decide. If you decide, you own it. Leadership and decision responsibility are inseparable. I expect everyone to make decisions — including under uncertainty. Not deciding is not a neutral act. It’s the most expensive decision of all, because it blocks everyone else.

3. Better to courageously exceed your authority than to comfortably stay below it. I want people who take responsibility — even beyond their formal scope. There will always be undefined territory. Navigate it smartly and directly. When in doubt: act, move forward, own it. Not: wait and delegate upward.

4. Results count — and they count for the whole. What matters is outcomes, not activity. Not hours, not meetings, not busywork. Every decision should be measured by what it does for the organization as a whole — not just for your own department.

5. Leadership creates the frame. The job of leadership is clarity and structure: about goals, boundaries, rules, and values. So that autonomous action becomes possible. A good frame allows leadership to be present at a distance — not because it’s absent, but because the frame holds.

6. Transparency is non-negotiable. If you want people to decide independently, they need access to information. We share what we know. We say what we’re doing. We name what we don’t know. And we expect the same from each other.

7. Conflicts are resolved, not avoided. Decentralized decisions create tension — that’s normal and intentional. We address them openly and respectfully. If you’re stuck, get support. That’s how the system is built.

Four altitudes

Not every conversation is the same. I work on four levels — sometimes simultaneously. Knowing which one you’re on makes the difference.

  • Lab — We explore. No commitment, no expected outcome. Ideas can be spoken freely and discarded again. Failing here is explicitly allowed.
  • Strategy — Where we’re going. Long-term direction, fundamental decisions.
  • Structure — How we’re set up. Roles, responsibilities, resources. This is where the rules of execution are defined.
  • Execution — What gets done today. Your area, your decision.

If you don’t know which level a conversation is on: ask. That’s not weakness, that’s good craft.

How decisions flow

Decisions fall as close to the topic as possible.

Your area? Your call. Cross-functional? Leadership team. Fundamental direction? Founders. Long-term? Board.

The CEO doesn’t need to be asked for every decision. But can be asked anytime. When necessary, I ask actively — not to control, but because I want to spar.

Where the boundary lies

There are areas that aren’t defined yet — and that’s fine. Navigate them smartly and directly: curious, unconventional when needed. Like a fox: resourceful and bold. Not cunning, not at others’ expense.

Exceeding your competence is courage. Falling below transparency is a breach of trust.

Culture is what happens when nobody is watching. The decisions someone makes when the boss isn’t in the room. The actions nobody sees — but that shape the result anyway.

Act in a way you could openly state at any time.

Every minute that flows into politics is missing from the result.

My part of the contract

I stand behind you. If someone makes a decision I’ve supported, I also stand behind the consequences. No second-guessing, no “I would have done that differently.” If I disagree, I say so beforehand.

I explain why. If I decide differently than expected, you have the right to understand why. That’s not distrust — it’s my job. But I owe you the reasoning.

I name the altitude. If I’m exploring, I say so. If I have an opinion but no justification yet, I say so. If you should decide, I say it clearly.

I’m available for what’s undecidable. My job is not to make your decisions. My job is to decide the things nobody else can decide — and otherwise get out of the way.

I use my veto rarely — but I use it. It’s the safety net of the system, not the first tool. When it comes, it comes with an explanation.

What this means for you

Take responsibility. Make decisions. Step into the undefined space when it serves the result.

Act transparently. Address conflicts openly. And when you’re stuck — get support. That’s what the structures are for.

Structure is the frame. What emerges within it is up to all of us.