Table of Contents

The Demand

This week, you take back the people-management functions your managers have been escalating to HR or to no one at all. If coaching, development, accountability, and culture stay owned by a department instead of by the manager closest to the person, accountability disappears into thin air.

The Work

  1. List every people-management task currently escalated away from the manager responsible for the person — hiring decisions, performance conversations, development plans, accountability conversations.
  2. For each one, name the manager who should own it directly instead of escalating it.
  3. This week, hand back one specific accountability conversation to the manager who owns that cast member, and coach that manager through how to run it — do not run it for them.
  4. Audit your compliance, payroll, and benefits functions separately. Confirm those stay administrative and do not get confused with coaching, development, or culture work.
  5. Tell every manager directly this week: “I checked with HR” is no longer an acceptable answer for a people decision that belongs to them.

Before your next shift, one specific people decision has moved from a department or a gap back to the manager who owns the person.