Why United Airlines’ CEO makes as few decisions as possible

Good leaders are decisive. They're able to parse through a trove of information in a timely manner and take swift action.

Good leaders are also choosey about which decisions to weigh in, says United Airlines' CEO Scott Kirby.

The chief executive spoke to Fortune about his experience taking the helm of the third-largest U.S. airline by revenue in May 2020, right as the pandemic wreaked havoc on the travel industry.

One of his key learnings, he said, is that not every decision is his to make. More often than not, the wisest decision is to delegate the decision-making process to someone who is equally, if not more, well-informed on the matter. Not only is it a time-saver and productivity-booster for him, said Kirby, but it also empowers employees, provides them with ownership and autonomy within the company, and develops them as leaders in their own right.

“The only decisions I should be making are the decisions that only I can make," said the CEO. Those types of decisions are complex, have no clear right or wrong answer, and there's a risk associated no matter which way he leans.

This approach removes the decision-making bottleneck that often paralyzes employees who have been trained to hold off on executing until a directive comes from the top.

Kirby prefers a participatory style of decision-making even when he must make the final choice. He gathers about 15 employees and, starting with the most junior, seeks each one's advice. He's gleaned three immediate benefits so far:

1. Multiple viewpoints have led to better decisions
2. Employees have become comfortable with disagreement
3. Team members feel heard even if they have unpopular opinions.

Ruth Umoh
ruth.umoh@fortune.com

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This story was originally featured on Fortune.com