Episode Overview

Episode Title: Intention and Delegation with Tom Heiser
Podcast: Revenue Builders
Hosts: John McMahon & John Kaplan
Guest: Tom Heiser (Technology executive and leader)
Date: September 28, 2025

This episode dives into the critical leadership themes of intentionality and delegation, focusing on how giving teams accountability can significantly impact business outcomes. Drawing from decades of leadership experience, Tom Heiser joins the hosts to explore the difference between transactional and transformational management, the importance of authenticity in empowerment, and the military-inspired concept of "commander's intent" as a framework for effective delegation.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Authenticity in Empowerment

• Empowerment Can’t Be Superficial

  • Tom Heiser underscores the frustration and demotivation teams experience when leaders claim to delegate responsibility but retain a "pocket veto," ultimately undermining trust and ownership.
    • Quote:

      "Somebody tells you you're empowered but holds a pocket veto... There's very few things that are less motivating than that."
      — Tom Heiser, 00:37

• Real Empowerment Requires Letting Go

  • John McMahon shares a story about a staged decision-making process at EMC—revealing how contrived inclusion and predetermined outcomes erode morale and authenticity.
    • Quote:

      "You think this is a charade. You know, that's your word. But I know you already had this all planned out... That's not authentic."
      — John McMahon, 01:14

2. Transactional vs. Transformational Management

• John Kaplan contrasts environments where leadership is merely about exchange ("you sell, I pay you") to those fostering genuine growth through accountability, development, and autonomy.
  • Quote:

    "This whole podcast so far you've been talking about transformational management... [where leaders] give you full responsibility and hold you accountable, but it wasn't just a plain old transaction."
    — John Kaplan, 01:35

3. The Importance of Accountability and Follow-Through

• Leaders must make it clear that what they ask teams to deliver is meaningful by deliberately checking in and following up, regardless of the setting (formal reviews, dashboards, even informal chats).
  • Quote:

    "How many times have you been asked by a boss to go do something and they never ask you about it again? It's so demotivational... He would inspect it... and then it kept you honest."
    — John McMahon, 02:18

4. Commander’s Intent: Military Principles for Business Leadership

• Tom Heiser introduces the powerful military-origin concept of “commander’s intent,” emphasizing clarity of objectives and giving teams latitude to achieve results in their own way.

  • The concept helps differentiate between team members who thrive with broad guidance versus those who need step-by-step supervision.

  • At Force Management, hiring includes identifying candidates who can operate within the boundaries of intent.

    • Quote:

      "Commander's intent is the people have the ability to understand the commander's intent. And they can go and operate within the commander's intent... But there's also those people that don't operate very well in commander's intent."
      — Tom Heiser, 03:05

  • Real-world observation: Some team members over-deliver when given autonomy, while others need frequent guidance. Recognizing this allows leaders to structure teams and responsibilities more effectively.

    • Quote:

      "Why do I struggle to tell something to one person, and they go and deliver something to me more powerful than I thought? And then other people, I feel like they have to keep coming back."
      — Tom Heiser, 04:45

5. Self-Awareness and Expectations for Leaders and Teams

• It's crucial for both leaders and team members to know whether they work well with high-level guidance or require specific, detailed direction.

  • Quote:

    "If you're self-aware, you probably know where you sit on that spectrum."
    — Tom Heiser, 05:32

• Leaders should avoid overwhelming teams by measuring them on too many criteria, which leads to paralysis and confusion.

  • Quote:

    "Leaders will paralyze some of their people when they give them like eight different ways in which they measure them. And then the people can't get out of bed in the morning... Like, I just don't know exactly what he wants from me."
    — John Kaplan, 05:58

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Empowerment without true autonomy is hollow:

  "There's very few things that are less motivating than that as it relates to this empowerment."
  — Tom Heiser, 00:37

• Predetermined empowerment is transparent and demotivating:

  "I know you already had this all planned out. That's not authentic."
  — John McMahon, 01:14

• Leaders must inspect what they expect:

  "It kept you honest. But it was also.... You knew it was important. If he was exerting the energy again to ask about that again, he was asking you to do something that was important."
  — John McMahon, 02:31

• Commander's Intent enables creative and autonomous delivery:

  "The beauty for the leader is they come back with things that are even more powerful than you thought they could be when you allowed them to, you know, for the empowerment."
  — Tom Heiser, 03:40

• Too many metrics can paralyze progress:

  "Leaders will paralyze some of their people... Like, I just don't know exactly what he wants from me. I've seen that movie many times."
  — John Kaplan, 05:58

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:37 – Tom Heiser on fake empowerment and the “pocket veto”
• 01:14 – John McMahon’s story about staged decision-making
• 01:35 – John Kaplan: Transactional vs. transformational management
• 02:18 – John McMahon: The power of following up on accountability
• 03:05 – Tom Heiser: The concept of commander's intent
• 04:45 – Tom Heiser: Why some people thrive with intent and others need steps
• 05:32 – Tom Heiser: Self-awareness and leadership approach
• 05:58 – John Kaplan: Dangers of too many metrics

Summary

This episode provides a masterclass in intentional, authentic leadership and the art of delegation. The hosts and Tom Heiser dissect what it truly means to empower a team—not just in word but through meaningful action and accountability. The discussion presents “commander’s intent” as a practical framework to give teams autonomy while still maintaining strategic direction. Listeners will walk away understanding that genuine delegation requires trust, regular inspection, fewer but clearer metrics, and a deep awareness of both leader and team member working styles, all of which are essential for scaling business success.