In my role at work, there are many things that I’m asked to approve. Usually, I don’t think about that as being a core part of my job. I usually like to spend time on collaboration, strategy, building culture, and other fluid aspects. However, there is a large chunk of what I do that is simply binary: do I approve, or do I deny?

I recently stopped and took inventory of all the things I need to approve. Here are some examples that aren’t even close to comprehensive: I approve expense reports, purchase requisitions, invoice payments, job requisitions, compensation changes, audit action plans, audit remediations, security exception requests, production change requests, project change requests, architecture designs, and that’s just to name a few.

I am the red tape

Employees often bemoan the “red tape” in an overly bureaucratic organization. They feel as if they must “jump through hoops” in order to get things done and it’s exhausting. Looking back at the previous paragraph, it’s apparent that I am the red tape, and I am the hoop.

I don’t want any more power than necessary. I desire to empower teams to make decisions to serve our customers and bring them value. Yet, I have a role to play in the process too.

The requestor and the approver

There is a special relationship between the requestor and the approver. The requestor wants to get things done. They want to make progress. In my experience, they are usually motivated to do the right thing. They just want to successfully navigate the process so they can get about their business.

The approver is in the way. The approver is the only thing stopping them from achieving the good thing they want to get done. The approver is a necessary evil, and in the eyes of the requestor, questionably necessary in the first place.

The pressure to rubber-stamp

If you are in a position similar to mine, then you’ve felt the inherent pressure to approve everything that comes across your desk. There are three reasons I can think of, all of which are good:

1. I don’t want to hold people up. Corporations are massive machines. Requests held up in approval queues are a massive source of waste and lost efficiency.
2. It’s bad enough that people need to wait in queue. It’s even worse for them if I deny their request. That means a whole lot of rework and another round of waiting for their next opportunity for approval.
3. It’s not my favorite thing to do. I didn’t become a leader because I wanted to read or listen to tedious requests. It’s just not fun. I’d rather get on with more engaging work, so it’s tempting to hurry through this piece.

None of the above involve people pressuring me to do the wrong thing. These are just inherent in the nature of the work.

What happens when I press the deny button?

I press the deny button. I do. Not all the time, but frequently enough. I don’t just deny for the fun of it, or because I’m on a power trip. I do it for legitimate reasons. Here are some of the legitimate reasons for denial:

1. Poor alignment. Sometimes people want to do things in the organization and have a great motivation, but poor alignment. I have the advantage of perspective, where others sometimes lack it. I see from an enterprise vantage-point. I understand our policies, strategies, and risk appetites. Sometimes requests need to be steered in a different direction. I appreciate the enthusiasm and take the opportunity to teach.
2. Poor quality. Sometimes people bring requests and haven’t done the appropriate preparation. Their documentation isn’t complete. They haven’t done their research. In one way or another, they simply didn’t do their homework and aren’t ready to pass the gate of approval. In those cases, I try not to send people away for good, but the message is “go back, fix it, then come back and try again.”
3. Auditability. In many of the approval processes I’m in, my role fulfills a specific control function of the organization. In the back of my mind, I remember that every decision I make is subject to review by an audit group. Is my decision defensible and reasonable? If my decision wouldn’t make sense to an independent party, then perhaps I should pause.
4. Fraud. I’m on the lookout for fraud. I trust my team members and co-workers, but I have a responsibility to verify that trust with a thorough review of everything I approve. Fortunately, I haven’t personally encountered fraud, but it can happen, and I must be vigilant. In fact, my colleagues in the Compliance and Internal Audit teams often flag evidence of bribery and corruption and/or expense account fraud via invoices submitted for reimbursement. If fraudsters have the audacity to submit self-incriminating evidence, the least I can do as a leader is thoroughly review these invoices.

There’s one last reason I like to hit the deny button, but it didn’t make the top 4 list. I like to see if the process can handle it. People are so conditioned to expect approval, that I want to make sure the process doesn’t break if I actually deny something. Does our workflow account for it? Where do denied requests go? Are they appropriately redirected or escalated? Or do they get sucked into a black hole? Hopefully not.

Compliance and Integrity

Compliance and integrity matter to me a whole lot. Therefore, I try not to look at approval processes as unnecessary bureaucracy or red tape, but instead, I look at it as an opportunity to raise the bar. Excellence doesn’t just happen. A denied request isn’t always pleasant, but if done right, it’s a teaching opportunity to make the organization a little stronger.

I’ll do my part and I’ll expect you to do yours. If I deny your request, try not to take it personally. We’re all working together to raise the bar.

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