Leading means some people won’t get what they asked for. Tell them yourself, with the reason.

Disappointing people is built into the job, since most decisions mean somebody loses out. What you control is whether they hear it from you and whether they know why. Finding out secondhand turns a no into a slight, while a reason, even an unwelcome one, lets them keep their respect for how the decision was made. The no is survivable; being managed around is not.

Think about who has an answer coming that they will not like, and tell them this week, face to face. Give the real reason rather than a softened one. Let them be annoyed without arguing them out of it.