Travel approvals.
The Travel approval process may be my favorite example in the world of workflow headaches and lack of understanding from managers and leaders.
Ask yourself—what do you need to do to get your travel approved to go to a conference?
If your answer is “Let my assistant know that I want to go to ICMA,” you likely have NO idea what your assistant is going to have to go through!!!
The travel approval process at my old job was so cumbersome, I stopped asking for approval…
…I just let my boss know that I was traveling and I would pay for the conference out of pocket.
Most travel approvals take months…in my case…it was about 2-3 months on average.
So, I stopped doing it.
When I map out that old travel approvals process—it started with me and ended somewhere in the Mayor’s Office for the final approval after going through budget, risk, and my entire department.
There were about 30 steps in that maze.
It caused me so many headaches.
One time, it even forced me to get on a plane without approval…I got approved for the conference three days after the conference started.
This is the example I share with every executive and management leader I work with today.
Most leaders are shielded from the morass of process challenges in the office because of superstar executive assistants who spend hours waiting for the same approvals I endured.
The only difference is that those executive assistants are able to call into the Mayor or Budget Office and bypass the traditional process.
These workarounds are not available to everyday staff and can force our employees to jump through the endless game of wait and see.
Listen.
As a leader, it can become difficult to hear about the internal challenges we face in getting simple things done…
…so most of the time, we ignore it and think our teams are just annoyed that they need to get approvals in the first place.
But that isn’t the case.
Listen. Your teams are telling you something when it takes months to get approved to go to a conference.
Sit with them and repeat the steps back to them.
If you are comfortable with the process, let them know.
If you are not…
Learn.
Leaders don’t have to know everything about the process…but they need to be aware of how their systems are working internally.
Our internal systems are hidden in our work factories.
Many of them are still paper-based and stuffed into internal office envelopes piled on our desks.
I challenge every leader to sit with your team and ask them to show you the process and let them demonstrate it.
Yes, from ordering supplies to getting reimbursements.
Ask them to map it out with you so you can have a good idea of how the work flows.
That curiosity will pull you closer to your team’s internal work.
So much of our internal workflow is similar to my favorite childhood board game:
Chutes and Ladders!
You know the game…
…roll the dice; hope to land on a ladder to win…
But time and time again, you find yourself sliding down a chute only to end up back at the start of the game.
These are your internal processes at work.
As a leader, your job is to get rid of the chutes and create the ladders.
Let Them.
Leaders are typically known for their problem solving acumen and most of us jump in to try to fix the problem… but we shouldn’t.
We must find ways to “Let Them.”
Mel Robbins popularized the “Let Them Theory” with her book this year.
But here, challenge your team to find ways to improve your internal service.
Challenge them to come up with ways to improve the 2-3 month travel approval process.
Let them… does NOT mean…let your assistant work through a horrible process.
Let them… means get out of the way.
Stop solving problems for your team and Let Them do it.
Challenge them to find ways to improve the process without buying a new ERP system!!!
There are tons of ways to improve our internal systems…
But too often leaders and managers get in the way.
Let them find solutions to reduce the time suck and challenge your people to make it better.
When I am asked what advice, I give to leadership about supporting innovation and team…
…it is simple.
Listen to your team.
Learn what they go through.
And Let Them solve it.
Your job is to congratulate them for making something better. .
I hope you have an incredible holiday.
Let me know if you get a cool new board game like Chutes and Ladders.
Listen. Learn. Let them.
Interested in innovating your workforce in 2026? Drop me a line for a free consultation here.
P.S. Interested in learning about my new company, rvrwrk (River Work)?
First of its kind: a technology-enabled service that helps you uncover the root causes of your process problems in minutes, not weeks. Click here to schedule a free demo and learn more.
P.P.S. ICMA kicks off another Innovation Bootcamp in February. Click here to join us!!!
P.P.P.S. December 2025 soundtrack, courtesy of Kora & Yugs,
Live and Learn by Crush 40 (the first ever Yugs addition to the soundtrack).
“9 2 5” by Nourished by Time (this song is from one of my fav albums to come out this year)