Scaling Leadership: DHL Shares Decision-Making Down the Line

VIDEO VERSION You hired good leaders. Can they lead without your permission? DHL Supply Chain North America COO Mike McLellan explains how to delegate decisions without losing accountability, and why his team plan doesn’t have to agree with him to deserve his support. Mike started his career as a temporary forklift driver. Today, he brings that frontline perspective to the challenges of leading at scale. In this episode of Innovating Leadership: Co-Creating Our Future, he joins Maureen Metcalf to discuss the leadership practices that help DHL respond to uncertainty, support growth, and keep decisions moving. IN THIS CONVERSATION: • Why sending every decision up the hierarchy slows down decisions in any organization • How Mike handled a VP’s reorganization plan that differed from his own • The importance of distributed decision-making • Why rapid growth can lead to premature promotions and cultural mismatches • How DHL tests robotics and automation for practical value before scaling • Why respect for associates and supervisors is central to business results. Mike also shares why he invites colleagues to change his mind, and how a leader can stay close to the business while giving others genuine authority. QUESTION FOR YOU When your team presents a sound plan that differs from yours, what helps you let them run with it? Share your experience in the comments. Subscribe to Innovating Leadership: Co-Creating Our Future for more conversations about leading people, making decisions, and turning strategy into results. #Leadership #Delegation #ExecutiveLeadership #DHLSupplyChain #DecisionMaking You can binge on all of Mike’s episodes: From Tariffs to Tempests: Strengthening Your Supply Chain Disruption No More: Future-Proofing Your Business For daily wisdom from our guests, be sure to follow us on LinkedIn. RESOURCES: Learn more about DHL on their website: https://www.dhl.com/. You can also contact Mike directly on LinkedIn at   / mike-mclellan-81227a3  . Our host Maureen Metcalf posts a newsletter every week on LinkedIn. You can subscribe here. Maureen’s latest book is Innovative Leadership & Followership in the Age of AI. You’ll find details about it at https://bit.ly/LeaderInAI, or check out the Kindle version at https://amzn.to/44buVz8. The audiobook version is now available at https://amzn.to/4dTCleZ. Her other 10 books are available on Amazon here. ----------------------- OUR PODCAST TEAM: Host & Executive Producer: Maureen Metcalf Editor & Executive Producer: Dan Mushalko Graphics Editor: Stacia Rogan Booking Producer: Jenna Reik (Jreik@innovativeleadership.com) Theme Music by Pavel Bekirov from Pixabay. CONNECT WITH US: LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/ILI-LinkedIn2 Website: InnovativeLeadershipInstitute.com Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating! ----------------------- About Our Guest: Mike McLellan is Chief Operating Officer of DHL Supply Chain North America, where he leads operational excellence across the region, supporting both established operations and new business. He serves on the division’s North America Board and Global Operations Board. Mike brings extensive operational experience in big-box retail and e-commerce. Since joining DHL in 2015, he has helped expand key operations and strengthen collaboration across business functions. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Louisville.