Ownership without authority is just responsibility “You own this account.” Sound
By Simon Ellicott · October 5, 2026 · Curated by George's Blog
Ownership without authority is just responsibility
“You own this account.”
Sounds clear enough. Until the account manager needs to make a decision.
Can they change the priorities?
Push back on an out-of-scope request?
Commit additional resource?
Challenge the client’s target?
Agree a deadline?
Or does every meaningful decision still need someone else’s approval?
This is another thing worth examining in an Amazon agency capability audit.
Because an agency can have named account owners and still have very little ownership in practice.
The team carries the responsibility.
The founder holds the decisions.
Then everyone wonders why the founder is constantly interrupted.
Sometimes the boundaries were never defined.
Sometimes they were defined, but a sensible decision gets overturned because it wasn’t the decision the founder would have made.
After a few rounds of that, people learn.
Ask first.
Wait for approval.
Avoid the risk.
What looks like a lack of initiative may be a perfectly rational response to how the business operates.
Giving people authority does not mean giving them unlimited freedom.
It means being clear about:
What they can decide independently.
What needs consultation.
What requires approval.
Which commercial boundaries apply.
When an issue needs escalating.
An account manager might be able to reprioritise work within the agreed scope, for example.
Adding a new market or committing unbudgeted resource is a different conversation.
Good judgement develops through clear boundaries, coaching and feedback.
And leaders need to leave room for decisions that are reasonable, even when they would have approached them differently.
Otherwise, “take ownership” becomes an instruction to carry the consequences without having the authority to influence them.
If you asked your account managers what they can decide without checking with you, would their answers match yours?
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