I’ve said this a thousand times before, and I’ll say it repeatedly: delegation is one of the toughest hurdles for leaders (especially founders) to overcome. I know this from personal experience.
The struggle to let go comes from a deeply rooted belief that nobody can do something as well as you can — and I get it. You started the business, sat in every seat, and poured time, energy, money, and your talent into every detail. Of course you feel protective over it.
But the truth is, if you ever want that business to grow, you have to learn how to delegate like a pro.
When someone struggles to delegate in their business, they’re not doubting the idea but the execution.
This doubt has two roots:
One is a lack of confidence in your team. You think they can’t do it as well as you would, so instead of trusting them or allowing them to learn and get better through mistakes, you hold the wheel tight.
The other is capacity constraints. If people look swamped, you feel guilty adding more to the load.
We often blame others somehow for our inability to delegate, but the truth is, it’s usually you.
Have you actually tried delegating? Have you tested for fit? Or are you just assuming it’s not possible?
Here’s something you’re probably not thinking about: There are people out there who love doing what you hate, and vice versa.
You love being in a courtroom but hate poring over documents? There’s someone out there who comes alive when a boatload of material is dropped on their desk to comb through. But you’ll never find them unless you try — unless you assign the work, measure the results, and adjust.
Sure, delegation attempts will sometimes lead to failure. But even failure is a lesson you can learn from until you find a perfect fit.
When you refuse to delegate, you effectively throttle your firm’s growth. You become the bottleneck. You work harder, not smarter, effectively stunting the impact on your team, your mission, and your life.
If your ambition is to scale and multiply your impact, delegation is non-negotiable.
You can start by following five simple steps:
- Identify what only you can do. Be really honest about what is truly something you must hold onto, because everything else will be up for delegation.
- Map people to roles by interest as well as capacity. Look for hidden drivers and give your team space to align passion with function.
- Onboard strategically. Don’t just dump tasks. Coach. Give them the tools they need to succeed.
- Iterate quickly. If someone underdelivers, be quick to diagnose the reason why. Is it a skill, time, or alignment issue? Fix the root of the problem instead of folding in frustration.
- Reward growth. Build systems that continue to elevate your team, like feedback loops, training, and so on.
If you’re not sure whether or not delegation will work, test it. Pick one repeatable task, assign it, coach it, measure it, and see where it lands. Let go of what’s costing you time and see if it improves overall results. If the answer is yes, delegate more.
Because while micromanaging keeps you safe, it also keeps you small.
If you want to truly lead, you’ve got to let go.
Let others do the work you don’t love and free yourself up for the work you’re meant to do.
That’s how firms grow. That’s how lives change. That’s how leaders are made.
So stop micromanaging and start leading.
