What are the consequences when bosses spend most of their time on nonstrategic decisions?

The CEO of a large health system with more than 9,000 employees, 20 of whom reported to her, liked to be involved in decisions, even if they were trivial. In fact, she often put off making a big decision because she was too busy making small ones. Effectively, she was a great “firefighter,” resolving crises daily, but a poor leader, as she refused to delegate much to her managers.

The effort to get approval for many activities was excessive, as the CEO required a paper trail and expected to sign off on even the most trivial decisions in writing. For example, during a strategic planning effort, the organization had brought in two prominent international consultants. Combined, they were being paid more than $10,000 per day. At noon on the first day of their visit, the director of strategy asked if they would like to join him for lunch in the organization’s premier dining room.