The Leadership Touchback

A Security Officer posted at a casino entrance checks a couple’s IDs as they enter the building. Both are 32 years old, but one ID expired two weeks ago. “I’m sorry, I can’t let you in with that ID. It’s expired. That’s our policy.” After a calm back-and-forth, the guest asks for a Supervisor.

The Supervisor arrives, speaks briefly with the couple, and allows them entry with a reminder to renew the ID before their next visit. The line keeps moving. The shift continues without issue.

The next day, the Supervisor learns the Officer is upset about the decision. The Supervisor is confused. The couple were clearly of age, the ID had only recently expired, they hadn't created a scene. No argument, just a request for a higher-level decision. Yet the Officer is asking their coworkers:

“What are we even here for?”

Don't Just Change the Call - Teach the Call

What most Supervisors assume is that the Officer is upset about being overruled. They think the frontline staff member is upset because they used their authority to make a decision they didn't like. What's missed is that the frontline team member doesn't have a problem with the Supervisor making a decision, they have a problem with the lack of communication and clarity given to them. The Officer isn’t challenging authority, they are trying to understand the standard that led to the decision that was made.

What's missing from this situation is the Leadership Touchback.

We expect our frontline staff to operate according to Policy. We expect our management teams to navigate the gray. Our default should be to support our frontline team as much as possible. But there are situations that arise where we overrule a decision made by others. When these moments occur, a Leadership Touchback is non-negotiable.

The Leadership Touchback

When we expect our management teams to work in gray, there will be times when they depart from policy – the same policy that guided the frontline employee’s initial decision. Development of our team occurs when the leaders explain the why behind the deviation. A Leadership Touchback breaks down the reasoning behind the decision. It allows frontline employees to see leadership decision-making in action instead of guessing at motives or expectations.

After an override, employees typically fall into one of three outcomes:

They begin bending the rules themselves.

They stop making decisions altogether.

They rigidly enforce policy, even when leadership flexibility exists. This is often the most dangerous outcome – not because policy is wrong, but because judgment is missing.

Negative guest experiences will compound in these environments.

A good Leadership Touchback will encompass the following:

Acknowledge the original decision. The employee needs to know they made the correct call per policy.

Reinforce their judgment and their knowledge. Explain the factors that changed the outcome. What made this situation appropriate for deviation? What was the thought process behind the final decision?

Reinforce what they should do next time. The frontline employee should never leave a Leadership Touchback wondering whether they were wrong, whether leadership expects them to make exceptions, or whether they should avoid making decisions altogether. The expectation remains clear: to enforce policy as written. But, when circumstances suggest a reasonable exception, they have the ability to inform the guest of the policy and offer to elevate the situation to a Supervisor for consideration.

This is an extremely important consideration in guest-service roles. When done correctly – this is where development happens, confidence is built, and future leaders begin to emerge. Leaders have a responsibility to develop judgment without sacrificing consistency. Our role is to help our teams understand when policy allows for leadership judgment to step in.

Could I Have Made That Call?

This question matters and it’s important that we don’t miss it. When the situation that sparked this article was discussed, the frustration of being overruled quickly turned into a different question – one that often reveals future leaders: “Could I have made that call?”

The answer was twofold. Could you have made that call? Yes –  if you were prepared to explain the reasoning behind departing from policy and defend that decision when questioned. Because these conversations require ownership of reasoning and accountability, the preferred practice is that decisions deviating from normal policy come from leadership. Frontline staff provide consistency. Management assumes responsibility for judgment in gray areas.

And here’s the follow-up: This question reveals future leaders.

In Leadership Has No Pause Button we talked about how organizations have a history of promoting based on knowledge, but failing to train and develop judgment. We have the opportunity when this question comes up to gauge someone’s ability to make that transition.

When someone shows a genuine curiosity behind the reasoning of the decision made, and show a desire to understand rather than rebel against the overrule, we have a foundation to build upon. When they pair that with a comfort with accountability and demonstrate a willingness to stand behind their decisions in the field, we have someone that’s ready to mentor for leadership.

So Policies Are Made To Be Broken?

Policies protect an organization. They protect legal standing, they protect a standard of consistency that is required for organizational success, and they protect the guest experience as well as the employee culture. The purpose here isn’t to dismiss policy, but to recognize that we operate in a human world. Situations happen that “by the book” doesn’t prepare us for. Do we terminate the employee that just lost a spouse because the attendance policy demands it or is their room for a human decision? Do we evict an intoxicated guest wandering the hotel lobby at 3:00 a.m. and hope they find themselves a ride somewhere else or do we safely guide them back to their room?

Policy protects consistency. Leadership protects outcomes.

The Real Responsibility of Leaders

The expectation of every organization is that situations will come up where management overrules a frontline decision. That authority carries an obligation though – every override is a coachable leadership moment.

Leaders are not measured by how often they exercise authority, but by how intentionally they develop judgment in others. Every time we change a decision without explanation, we create hesitation. Every time we teach the reasoning behind a decision, we create confidence. Confidence in the process and in leadership. Each time we do this well, we are not just solving a moment; we are developing the next leader.

The Leadership Touchback is non-negotiable.

Changing the decision solves the moment. Teaching the decision prepares the next one.

If you change the call, you own the development.