Holacracy Lead Link 101: What the Lead Link Does NOT Do

• Assign or direct work (i.e. tell others what to do). Instead, the Lead Link should request projects, or prioritize those projects, or ask questions like, “what are you prioritizing over this?” “what’s in your way?” or “how can I help?”
• Decide for others, or approve/bless/veto decisions. Instead, the Lead Link should say, “I don’t have the authority to decide that for you.” Optionally, they could add, “…if you want to hear my opinion, I’m happy to share it, but it’s just my opinion. Use it as data to make your decision.”
• Solve others’ tensions or problems for them. Instead, if someone presents a problem, ask, “So, what do you need?” Don’t take the bait to heroically take responsibility for resolving their issue. Offer suggestions or pathways, but don’t own a next-action or project for a tension that someone else raises.
• Hiring, firing, or setting compensation for circle members. Instead, the organization should have policies for these functions that don’t involve the Lead Link (examples can be found in the Holacracy “App Store”). The Lead Link can remove someone from a role in the circle, but it’s more like a coach removing a player from a game, not the team/roster.
• A lot of work in the circle — Lead Link is a part-time job. Instead, being a Lead Link should only take up about 10% of the person’s time. The other 90% will be in other roles. If someone is spending more than 10%, it’s likely they’re doing work that needs to be captured by proposing new roles.

Read “Introducing the Holacracy Practitioner Guide” to find more articles.