How to Build a Dream Team That Doesn't Need You for Every Decision
Picture it: You're excited to tackle CEO-level work—outreach, sales tracking, reviewing KPIs. You open your laptop and suddenly... DING DING DING—Slack and Voxer notifications flood in. And no, it's not clients... it's your TEAM!
Wait a minute. Wasn't building an agency supposed to free you from the day-to-day so you could focus on growth? The truth is, many agency owners simply trade one bottleneck (client work) for another (constant team questions).
That was 100% me until I learned how to create a self-led team—one that trusts their expertise enough to make decisions without me. When I finally built that kind of team, my Slack notifications got much quieter, I could focus on CEO-level work, and I could even disconnect midday for lunch with my husband or a nail appointment.
Watch The Video Now “How to Build a Dream Team That Doesn't Need You for Every Decision”
Why Your Team Depends on You for Every Decision
Before we fix the problem, we need to understand its cause. Most agency owners have unintentionally created dependency by:
Requiring team members to send everything for approval before it goes to clients
Jumping in to answer client emails instead of letting team members handle them
Solving every problem team members bring rather than asking for their solutions
Sound familiar? It's understandable—you want quality work. But that's why you hired great people: so you wouldn't have to micromanage!
Implement Clear Decision-Making Frameworks
The primary reason team members come to you for every little thing is they don't want to make mistakes. A clear decision-making framework helps them understand what they can handle independently and when to escalate.
The 3 Types of Decisions
1. Independent Decisions (70-80% of decisions) These are decisions team members can make completely on their own:
Scheduling client calls
Responding to routine client questions
Making edits to deliverables
Pro Tip: Lead from the back. I stayed in client/team Slack channels but instead of answering client questions directly, I'd send private messages to team members with suggestions. This built their confidence and showed clients they were working with experts.
2. Consult Decisions (15-20% of decisions) Team members gather information and make recommendations but check before implementing:
Changes to project timelines
Adjustments to scope of work
Handling upset clients
These types of decisions can be tackled during weekly check-ins or 1:1 meetings.
3. Authority Decisions (5-10% of decisions) These decisions should only be made by you or your leadership team:
Pricing changes
Taking on new clients
Strategic pivots
Releasing clients
When deciding which decisions fall into which category, ask yourself: "Am I keeping this decision because of control issues or because of true strategic necessity?"
🎧 Related Podcast Episode: How She Learned to Build a Team Strategically
Brittany went from hiring one contractor for only 5 hours a month to having two employees and 3 contractors.
In this episode, I talk to her about how she strategically built her team and grew her business, including how she transformed from a micromanager to a trusting leader.
Setting Clear Boundaries & Expectations
Create a "When and Where to Reach Me" document that outlines:
Which decisions require your input (and which don't)
Which communication channel to use for different urgency levels
What constitutes a true emergency
For example, I have a dedicated "Tasha SOS" Slack channel that my team uses only for genuine emergencies. This way, I can confidently ignore other notifications when I'm on vacation, knowing I'll only be contacted if absolutely necessary.
I remind my team that we're not brain surgeons—there are very few true emergencies in online business! However, when a client is in the middle of an open cart launch and their sales page breaks, that's a legitimate emergency.
Foster a Culture That Celebrates Autonomy
Your team doesn't want to make mistakes or disappoint you. Through your words and actions, remind them that mistakes are a natural part of learning and growth.
When a team member makes a mistake, I ask them:
What happened?
How do you plan to fix it?
What will you do differently to prevent it in the future?
Notice that the ball stays in their court—I'm not fixing the problem for them. While this is challenging at first, it demonstrates that you trust them.
💻FREE RESOURCE: Hire Right The First Time
Get My Agency-Tested Interview Template: 10 Strategic Questions that Reveal Your Next Top Team Member (And Red Flag The Wrong Ones Before It's Too Late)
Building an Autonomous Team Takes Time (But It's Worth It!)
When your team becomes truly autonomous, it's like the heavens have opened up and started singing! And your team members will appreciate knowing they're not being micromanaged but trusted as the experts they are.
Remember to:
Ask more questions than you answer so your team develops their strategic thinking
Lead from the back and let clients see your team members as experts
Create clear decision-making frameworks
Set boundaries around communication
Foster a company culture that celebrates autonomy
Want to build a team that can make decisions without you? Start by hiring the right people. Download my free guide with 10 Agency-Specific Interview Questions designed to help you find team members who can think independently.
Do you struggle with team members who depend on you for every decision? Share your experience in the comments!
Let’s Stay Connected
If you’re ready to get out of the doing in your online business, and ready to begin exploring the possibilities of an online agency model, I have lots of good resources to help you on your journey. I encourage you to check out my How She Did That podcast, and my Shop full of mini-courses and trainings!
Send me a DM on Instagram with any questions you have about agency ownership! @thetashabooth
- Tasha Booth, Agency Coach & Owner of The Launch Guild
Tasha Booth is an agency owner, podcaster, coach. She is the Founder & CEO of The Launch Guild - a full service launch support agency working with established coaches and course creators with Course & Podcast Launches. Her team works together to support their clients in being able to focus back onto their zones of genius.
She is passionate about helping women build profitable and sustainable agencies that they love, so they can fully step into the CEO role and create a life they dream of - one where naps are ALWAYS encouraged.