Recently I was talking with a friend who is a solopreneur and was feeling overwhelmed with the many hats she has to wear. When I asked if she considered outsourcing, she confessed trying it before, but it hadn’t quite worked out.
‘I think I was hoping they’d read my mind. I had no capacity to train them. I take full responsibility for it not working out,’ she admitted.
The truth is, having a team is a lot of work. It’s never just about offloading—a common mistake for busy leaders.
When we delegate, we do it to build capability and free up our time.
What we should get out of it, if we invest wisely, is a strong, confident team that multiplies not just output, but creativity and innovation. This rewards us by giving us the time and energy to focus on the things we need to do.
If we don’t have time to train our team members, then that’s probably a sign that we shouldn’t have a team.
‘It’s easier if I do it myself. And I know I’ll get the outcome I want.”
Sooo many of us think about delegating in this way.
In the short term, that can feel like the right choice, but long term, that choice compounds into:
- Decision fatigue
- Bottlenecks
- Burnout
Like with most things leadership, we’re rarely taught how to delegate well though.
What does good delegation look like?
Here are some key starting points:
- Be specific about the outcome, not the method: instead of telling them how to do something, tell them what ‘done well’ looks like
- Set a check-in rhythm: don’t wait until the due date. Agree on how and when you’ll review progress
- Expect a learning curve: even the best people need context, so be available for questions, especially early on
- Name the growth opportunity: when people understand why they’ve been trusted with something, they rise to meet it.
If that sounds like something you want more of, we dive much deeper into this in Module 2 inside the Leadership Essentials Programme. Take a look.
All good things,
Juliet Robinson
Leadership and Change Specialist
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