Strategies for Effective Delegation

Most founders think their biggest bottleneck is capital. But after analyzing hundreds of entrepreneurs who've built successful companies, I've discovered something counterintuitive: The most expensive bottleneck in your business is you. I learned this the hard way when I was trapped answering emails, scheduling calls, and tracking invoices for years. Here's what happens when you build systemized delegation in public: 1. Time Multiplication You shift from doing everything yourself to systemizing everything that matters. When you document this process publicly, you create accountability and inspire others to value their own time properly. 2. Strategic Thinking Space Removing low-value tasks creates mental bandwidth for high-impact decisions. Sharing your strategic frameworks publicly helps other founders identify what truly requires their unique expertise. 3. Team Empowerment The right operations hire takes ownership of entire systems. Building these delegation processes in public creates a playbook that other founders can implement immediately. 4. Revenue Leverage Within 30 days of my first ops hire, I tripled my strategic thinking time and doubled my creative output. Documenting this ROI openly shows other founders the true cost of being their own bottleneck. 5. Scalable Growth Your first hire should give you time back. When you build hiring systems transparently, you demonstrate that sustainable growth requires systematic thinking. 6. Compound Freedom Each hour you reclaim compounds into more strategic value creation. Sharing this transformation journey publicly creates a community of founders who prioritize time leverage over task completion. The simple math: A monthly operations investment created exponential opportunity returns. When you build your delegation systems in public, you're showing other founders that their time is their most valuable asset. The future belongs to founders who understand that being irreplaceable is the opposite of being valuable. — Enjoy this? ♻️ Repost it to your network and follow Matt Gray for more. Want to learn how to delegate effectively? Join our community of 172,000+ subscribers today: https://lnkd.in/g2cDh2np 

"I'll delegate when I find good people." Translation: "I'll trust them after they prove themselves." Plot twist: They can't prove themselves until you trust them. Break the loop. Delegate to develop. Here's how: 1️⃣ What should you delegate? Everything. Not a joke. You need to design yourself completely out of your old job. Set your sights lower and you'll delegate WAY less than you should. But don't freak out: Responsibly delegating this way will take months. 2️⃣ Set Expectations w/ Your Boss The biggest wild card when delegating: Your boss.  Perfection isn't the target. Command is.  - Must-dos: handled  - Who you're stretching   - Mistakes you anticipate   - How you'll address Remember: You're actually managing your boss. 3️⃣ Set Expectations w/ Yourself  Your team will not do it your way.  So you have a choice: - Waste a ton of time trying to make them you?   - Empower them to creatively do it better?  Remember: 5 people at 80% = 400%. 4️⃣ Triage Your Reality - If you have to hang onto something -> do it.  - If you feel guilty delegating a miserable task -> delete it.  - If you can't delegate them anything -> you have a bigger problem. 5️⃣ Delegate for Your Development  You must create space to grow. Start here:   1) Anything partially delegated -> Completion achieves clarity.  2) Where you add the least value -> Your grind is their growth.  3) The routine -> Ripe for a runbook or automation. 6️⃣ Delegate for Their Development Start with the stretch each employee needs to excel. Easiest place to start: ask them how they want to grow. People usually know. And they'll feel agency over their own mastery. Bonus: Challenge them to find & take that work. Virtuous cycle. 7️⃣ Set Expectations w/ Your Team  Good delegation is more than assigning tasks:  - It's goal-oriented  - It's written down  - It's intentional When you assign "Whys" instead of "Whats", You get Results instead of "Buts". 8️⃣ Climb The Ladder Aim for the step that makes you uncomfortable:     - Steps over Tasks  - Processes over Steps  - Responsibilities over Processes  - Goals over Responsibilities   - Jobs over Goals  Each rung is higher leverage. 9️⃣ Don't Undo Good Work Delegating & walking away - You need to trust. But you also need to verify. - Metrics & surveys are a good starting point. Micromanaging - That's your insecurity, not their effort. - Your new job is to enable, motivate & assess, not step in. ✅ Remember: You're not just delegating tasks. - You're delegating goals. - You're delegating growth. - You're delegating greatness. The best time to start was months ago.  The next best time is today. 🔔 Follow Dave Kline for more posts like this. ♻️ And repost to help those leaders who need to delegate more.

At Amazon, two of my top engineers had a shouting match that ended in tears. This could be a sign of a toxic workplace or a sign of passion and motivation. Whether it becomes toxic or not all comes down to how management deals with conflict. In order to deal with conflict in your team, it is first essential to understand it. A Harvard study has identified that there are 4 types of conflict that are common in teams: 1. The Boxing Match: Two people within a team disagree 2. The Solo Dissenter: Conflict surrounds one individual 3. Warring Factions: Two subgroups within a team disagree 4. The Blame Game: The whole team is in disagreement My engineers shouting at each other is an example of the boxing match. They were both passionate and dedicated to the project, but their visions were different. This type of passion is a great driver for a healthy team, but if the conflict were to escalate it could quickly become toxic and counterproductive. In order to de-escalate the shouting, I brought them into a private mediation. This is where one of the engineers started to cry because he was so passionate about his vision for the project. The important elements of managing this conflict in a healthy and productive way were: 1) Giving space for each of the engineers to explain their vision 2) Mediating their discussion so that they could arrive at a productive conclusion 3) Not killing either of their passion by making them feel unheard or misunderstood Ultimately, we were able to arrive at a productive path forward with both engineers feeling heard and respected. They both continued to be top performers. In today’s newsletter, I go more deeply into how to address “Boxing Match” conflicts as both a manager and an IC. I also explain how to identify and address the other 3 common types of team conflict. You can read the newsletter here https://lnkd.in/gXYr9T3r Readers- How have you seen team member conflict handled well in your careers?

Project Managers, unlock 3X efficiency: Delegation is key for Project Managers (and all leaders). It's more than just assigning tasks. It's about empowering team members and focusing on priorities. Done correctly, it enhances efficiency, leadership & project success. 🔥Michael Hyatt's 5 Levels of Delegation A blueprint for effective assignment. 1. Do Exactly What I Say Team member tests a feature exactly as you instructed. 2. Research and Report Back Member investigates potential software solutions. You decide the best fit. 3. Give Options, I Decide Team suggests project timelines, you finalize one. 4. Make Decision, Inform Me Lead developer picks a tool and then notifies you. 5. Make Decision, No Need to Report Experienced team member resolves minor project issues. No need to brief you. 🔥 Value/Alignment Matrix A guide for what to delegate. ➨ Take Back Tasks crucial to the project and align with your expertise. Ex: Outlining the project roadmap—only you can set it. ➨ Delegate Key tasks but they don't need your unique touch. Ex: Scheduling meetings—you don't have to arrange them. ➨ Keep Doing (for now) Tasks in your wheelhouse but not critical to the project. Mentor someone for future assignment. Ex: Checking project metrics—could a data analyst manage? ➨ Stop Doing Tasks that neither play to your strengths nor benefit the project much. Ex: Old-fashioned documentation—it's not adding value. Master the skill of delegation. Elevate your project leadership. Increase your efficiency. P.S. What's your go-to delegation method?

How do you help your team members handle challenges—without taking on their challenges for them? 

In working through a challenge and learning from it, your team is able to grow. Think about the last time a team member told you about a challenge they had…and then somehow it was turned over to you to manage, or you picked it up and solved it.

You might be so good at putting out fires you didn’t even realize it. 

I get it. I’m an action-oriented person. I love to solve problems. I love to support my team.

A leader’s job is to coach team members to solve their problems and handle difficult situations, not necessarily do it for them. 

I definitely learned this the hard way as a new leader.

First, I drowned in directly managing the team’s challenges plus my own. Then, I learned my efforts to help my team unintentionally showed them that only I can handle something, or to expect that I will.

I still take seriously my role as a leader to remove barriers and intervene, as appropriate—but I also remind my team members that I believe in their abilities.

Here are three steps to help your team members navigate their own challenges (with your support and guidance, of course). ASK QUESTIONS Ask your team member open-ended questions to help them think through the challenge. You might say, “What do you think the next step should be?” or “How should we handle this challenge?” You want to draw out their perspective and demonstrate that this is something you expect them to manage. DETERMINE YOUR ROLE When your team member starts talking about their challenge, try to determine if they need to vent or need you to do something. Because I have a tendency to jump into things, I have to catch myself to ask if the team member wants feedback, support, or action. If they want feedback or support,they’re showing they intend to manage through the challenge and would benefit from your guidance. If they request action, dig a little deeper before you take this on. Try to understand if they aren't confident in their choices and need reassurance, or if they're delegating the tough stuff to avoid managing it themselves. REINFORCE YOUR TEAM MEMBER’S STRENGTHS Acknowledge your team member’s challenge—and their ability to get through it. Reassure them that you believe they can handle it. You may remind them of how they successfully handled a difficult situation in the past. Most importantly, remember that the leader’s role is not to solve their team's problems—but to help their team become better problem solvers.

Anyone will become a leader. Working with AI agents we ask them to create an outcome rather than follow defined steps. But this key task takes skill and practice: delegating. I was fortunate to participate in several leadership trainings in my career: as an aspiring leader, a first-level leader, and a mid-level leader. While each offered relevant insights for the role at the time, one thing has stayed consistent: the art of delegating a task. Delegate in passing and you’re leaving too much ambiguity to fill. Delegate to someone who’s missing the context and it will show in the result. But delegating starts with you: the leader. This simple framework can help you articulate the goal to be achieved more clearly and thereby set up your team member for success. Coincidentally, you can apply the same steps when delegating to AI: 1) What is the GOAL you want to achieve? 2) What DATA or information is needed to complete the task? 3) What TOOLS are available for the task? 4) How will you EVALUATE the output? (What does 'good' look like?) 5) With whom should they COLLABORATE? And lastly, asking what they have understood. Next time you delegate a task to a person or to AI, try structuring your request using these five steps. What would you add? #ArtificialIntelligence #GenerativeAI #IntelligenceBriefing

I thought we were on the same page…Weeks later, I realized I’d missed the signals. My remote team member didn’t understand the assignment. So I built a tool to fix that. It wasn’t a lack of effort. It was a lack of clarity. This was one of the early mistakes I made while working remotely and leading teams spread across time zones and office sites. We were working from behind virtual curtains - missing the informal cues and hallway check-ins that used to fill in the gaps. So I built new tools to avoid those costly misunderstandings. One of them is the 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗳. This 𝟭𝟱-𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽 can save hours of wasted effort and build trust across distance. ✅ 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿?  After assigning a project, ask your direct report to complete the Assignment Brief. Review together (live or async). Align on milestones. Prevent rework. ✅ 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿?  Proactively share a completed Assignment Brief with your manager or team leader after receiving a new project. You’ll signal initiative and ensure clarity from the start. 𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗳: https://lnkd.in/gc5nzEBj This is just one of the tactical tools we teach in the 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 - alongside content from Dave Ulrich and support from the Udemy Business Leadership Academy. 👀 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝟮,𝟴𝟬𝟬 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gUmVw9dc

"I don't expect perfection," you say, while simultaneously reaching for your red pen to mark up a document that's already on its 14th revision. Sound familiar? That gap between what we claim about our standards and how we actually behave might be the first clue that we've crossed from "high standards" territory into the land of impossible expectations—a place where great work goes to die and good people go to burn out. Now, I'm a devout "anti-perfectionist" but many of my #coaching clients are quite the opposite. And here are four signs that their standards (read: YOUR standards) might have crossed into problematic territory: 1. You find fault with nearly everything. When was the last time you wholeheartedly approved of someone's work without suggesting improvements? If you can't remember, your standards may be unreachable or unreasonable. 2. You're reluctant to #delegate. If you believe no one can do the job as well as you can, you're probably right—because you've set the bar at an impossible height. And even if YOU can clear that bar doesn't mean that everyone else can or should be able to. They have other strengths that you may not have. That's called #diversity. 3. Your team seems hesitant to share ideas. When people anticipate criticism rather than collaboration, they stop taking risks and #innovation suffers. 4. The impact on your colleagues is significant: decreased #morale, reduced creativity, and eventual disengagement. "Why bother trying when nothing is ever good enough?" becomes their inner voice -- and the unspoken team motto. And for you? Perpetual disappointment, increasing isolation, and #burnout. Also, you're exhausted. #Perfectionism is exhausting—for you and everyone around you. The path forward isn't lowering your standards—it's making them reasonable: 1. Define "good enough" clearly for each project. What specifically constitutes success rather than perfection? 2. Adopt a "growth standards" mindset. Instead of fixed perfection, focus on whether each project represents significant progress from the last one. 3. Ask yourself: "How much will this matter in a week? A month? A year?" Most imperfections won't. 4. Practice saying "This works well" without adding "but..." 5. Create a "standards check-in" with your team. Schedule a monthly conversation where everyone can openly discuss whether expectations feel challenging yet achievable. This accountability practice prevents standard-creep and builds #psychologicalsafety. 6. Reflect on projects that you were a part of that were successful without being perfect. Remind yourself that you and everyone around you survived! Remember, truly high standards should elevate people, not diminish them. The best #leaders don't just drive excellence—they make excellence achievable. What's one way you've balanced high standards with reasonable expectations? I'd love to hear your approach. #DEIB #perfectionism #accountability #leadership

Most leaders I coach are overwhelmed right now. They’re under immense pressure. Doing the work of three or more people. Trying to lead through change while barely keeping it together. But the problem isn’t effort. It’s capacity. It’s clarity. It’s support. Interestingly, only 28% of leaders say they feel confident making strategic decisions under pressure.(McKinsey) That’s not a performance issue. That’s a training gap. Here’s what I see every week: Underperformers: • React all day • Avoid delegation because it takes too long to explain • Stay buried in execution • Wait until things break before speaking up • Make last-minute, scattered decisions Most leaders: • Delegate, but the work bounces back • Try to think strategically, but never have the space • Say yes to too much • Work harder to outrun the overwhelm • Get stuck doing everything except the work that actually moves the needle High-performers: • Prioritize with precision • Delegate with structure and follow-through • Schedule and protect time to think • Communicate early, directly, and with context • Make confident decisions rooted in business value The difference isn’t talent. It’s method. And it’s teachable. Here’s what we walk through in a High-Performance Executive Coaching session: Step 1: Audit your workload We pull up your calendar and task list. We find the friction, identify the rework, and name what’s quietly draining your capacity. Step 2: Clarify what matters most We define high-value work for your current role and goals. What drives results in the next 90 days? What earns trust, traction, and visibility? Step 3: Rebuild your decision filters We give you a way to sort priorities and requests so you stop reacting, and start leading based on what really matters. Step 4: Delegate with clarity We shift from vague handoffs to fully structured ownership. Your team steps up. You step out of the weeds. Step 5: Schedule and protect time to think We build the structure that gives you space to think, decide, and lead. If you can’t think, you can’t lead. Enough said. This is what high-performers do differently. Not just to stay afloat, but to lead with confidence when the pressure’s high. If this felt uncomfortably familiar, that’s a signal. We coach leaders through this every week. And it works. Let me know if you want an Executive Coaching Session to help get you out of the weeds and into the real work your role demands. #OverwhelmedLeaders #ExecutiveCoaching #LeadershipDevelopment #HighPerformanceLeadership #Delegation #DecisionMaking

I've been watching leaders sabotage their own success for decades. Here's the pattern I keep seeing: Manager gives task to team member → task doesn't get done right → manager jumps in to "fix it" → team member never learns → manager feels overwhelmed because their time is sucked into fixing it → cycle repeats and escalates. This happens at startups and Fortune 500 companies alike. It's a universal leadership challenge. Why? One reasson is we're all terrible mind readers. The solution isn't more lunches or team building exercises. It's not working harder. It's consistent, sync sessions - specifically structured 1:1 meetings. What leaders actually want: - Team members who "get it" - People who take ownership - Work that gets done without constant supervision - Trust that when they delegate, it happens But leaders sabotage themselves by: 1. Jumping in to "do it right" (which teaches the team they'll never measure up) 2. Only delegating work that will be done "exactly how I'd do it" (impossible standard) 3. Avoiding the discomfort of developing leadership skills 4. Failing to address core problems directly The math of trust is simple: Trust = Time + Consistency When you implement weekly 1:1s with the same format as your business operating system (whether EOS, OKRs or something else), you create a accountability loop that helps everyone. Use the same measurables, rocks, and goals you'd review in your weekly and quarterly team meetings, just personalized to their role. By having these meetings consistently, even when it feels like you "don't have anything to discuss," you're building trust. You're creating space to address issues before they become fires. You're teaching your team exactly how they contribute to business success. I see this work time and again - leaders who make this simple change transform from overwhelmed doers to empowered leaders. It's one reason why we committed to making great 1 on 1 meetings simple and easy in ResultMaps. What's your biggest challenge with delegation? Is it the letting go or the follow-through?