The decision-maker is busy: should we meet or postpone?
Without the decision-maker, the meeting can become a conversation that leads nowhere, unless you choose the right approach.
There are three ways to handle this: postpone the meeting to ensure all decision-makers are present, allow the busy person to clearly delegate authority to someone in the room to finalize decisions, or lower the meeting's objective to a recommendation for resubmission. For a proposal presentation, the most unified approach is usually to postpone, as without decision-makers, the meeting becomes merely a rehearsal. The worst scenario is to hold the meeting as if a decision will be made while everyone knows the decision-maker is absent: the decision hangs in limbo and the entire meeting is a waste.
- A major decision is hard to reverse; the absent person has the final say, especially during the proposal presentation: it’s better to wait.
- The absent person trusts and clearly delegates to someone: just proceed (during the exploration meeting, finalize the direction).
- We need to maintain momentum; if the decision can still be adjusted: proceed at a recommended level and finalize after the presentation.
- Ambiguous delegation, just discuss and report back later.
- A meeting just for the sake of having it, results are pending.
Before each presentation or finalization meeting, the first question should be: who will sign off at the end, and is that person present? If the answer is no, then a decision on how to handle this should be made before entering the room, not after two hours of meeting.
Why is the decision-maker so important?
In the branding project, there are long-term directional choices: brand name, positioning (the place the brand occupies in customers' minds), primary color palette, and communication tone. These choices are difficult to reverse once they are implemented in the market. If the decision-maker is not present during the discussion, the biggest risk is not an ineffective meeting, but the decision being overturned after the entire team has invested effort.
Absentees often have unspoken constraints that the group is unaware of: a color they are allergic to from a past story, a name related to a competitor, a budget cap they have not disclosed. When the group finalizes everything and presents it, and then the boss rejects it, the effort of that meeting is nearly wasted.
Three ways to handle the absence of the decision-maker during meetings
Option 1: Postpone the meeting. This applies when a significant decision is made, difficult to reverse, and the absent person has the final say. For a proposal presentation, this is the most unified approach: the presentation is where a well-considered decision is defended before the decision-maker, so without them, the meeting is merely a rehearsal for another session. The cost of postponing a meeting is often much lower than the cost of redoing it after being overturned. If a face-to-face meeting is not possible, it is better to present via a call with a facilitator and then send the file afterward, rather than sending the file through a message for the decision-maker to review alone without context.
Option 2: Clear delegation. The busy person trusts and designates someone in the room to finalize decisions, accompanied by specific constraints regarding budget, mandatory criteria, and deadlines. The delegation must be clear enough that the person delegated knows exactly what they are allowed and not allowed to do. This approach is more suitable for exploratory meetings or directional finalization meetings than for proposal presentations.
Option 3: Lower the meeting's objective to a recommendation. If it is necessary to maintain momentum and the decision can still be adjusted, the team can still meet, but the goal is to produce a well-founded recommendation for resubmission, not to finalize. The condition is that everyone in the room knows and agrees with this goal from the start, and this meeting is correctly referred to as an exploratory meeting, not a presentation.
Common mistakes when the decision-maker is absent
- Vague delegation: The boss says "just discuss and report back" without any constraints. The team meets, finalizes, and presents again, only for the boss to start over because the team has gone against an unspoken criterion that the boss never communicated.
- Meeting just for the sake of it: Everyone knows we can't finalize anything today, but no one dares to say it outright. The meeting ends with a pile of notes and no real decisions made.
- Forgetting to ask about absolute constraints: The team does not ask the decision-maker beforehand if there is anything they absolutely cannot change. By the time of the presentation, they discover they have gone in a direction the decision-maker would never accept.
Clearly state the authority level of the meeting from the beginning: is this meeting for final decisions or just recommendations? If no one expects wrongly, then no one will be disappointed.
Facilitation First, The Importance of Defining Decision-Making Authority in Meetings
Decision checklist
Topic: The decision-maker is busy: should we hold a meeting in their absence? Sinh Vũ guide, sinhvu.com
Tick each item that applies or that you can already answer, then print or save as PDF to take with you.
If you have marked most of the signs above, this is the time to discuss in more detail. Sinh Vũ can help you review and propose a direction.
References
Research: How to Delegate Decision-Making Strategically, Harvard Business Review; The Leader's Guide for Making Decisions in Meetings, Lucid Meetings; The Importance of Defining Decision-Making Authority in Meetings, Facilitation First.
Frequently asked questions
Is it okay if the boss says 'just have the meeting and report back'?
It's not acceptable if that statement is not accompanied by clear constraints, such as a maximum budget, mandatory criteria, or a deadline for finalization. This kind of vague delegation often ends with the boss hearing the report and then starting over because the team has gone in the wrong direction without anyone knowing. Before the meeting, ask directly: 'Is there anything you absolutely cannot change?' That question saves a lot of effort for both sides.
If the decision can still be adjusted, is it necessary for the decision-maker to be present?
It's not necessary for exploratory meetings or directional finalization meetings. If the decision can still be adjusted and the team knows that this meeting is only to provide recommendations, not to finalize, then it is still worth holding the meeting to maintain momentum. The important thing is to clearly announce at the beginning of the meeting: 'Today we are providing recommendations for resubmission, not finalizing.' For proposal presentations, there should be decision-makers present, as that meeting exists to finalize decisions.
This article is for reference. The scope, pricing, and specific commitments of Sinh Vũ are detailed in the proposal and signed contract.