unintentionally removed authority and responsibility.  We applied four simple principles that support effective decisions and that helped them to free up these blocked managers.  Going back to first principles uncovered the solution. Conclusion As executives and managers, operating in a climate of austerity, uncertainty and competition, we can still position ourselves for the future.  There is an alternative to yet more cost cutting and process improvements.  If we challenge our existing approaches and reinvent how we manage, we can improve the culture we create and therefore the effectiveness of our people and our organisations. To achieve this reinvention, we have to focus on the beliefs and behaviours that underpin how we think we should manage; first challenging our own beliefs and behaviours, then challenging those of our people. When you change beliefs and behaviours, all else follows. The prize is available and some have already taken it.  One executive describing how they worked put it elegantly, "This is how we should manage in the second decade of the 21 st Century". To find our more about re-inventing management and improving your organisation's performance, Get it touch .