The Common but Silly Reasons Most People Suck at Delegating

And what to do about them

What if I told you there was a hack that could add hours to your day, clear your plate, and ease your mind?

There is, and it’s called delegation.

It’s a management cheat code. So why do so many of us struggle with it?

According to one study from Stanford University, 35% of CEO’s recognised they need to improve their delegation skills.

From overcoming discomfort to learning how to do it properly, it’s something a lot of people struggle with.

The path to getting better starts with knowing what’s causing it. After more than a decade of coaching leaders, here are the reasons I see time and again.

Basing an Identity on Doing, Not Getting Things Done

Confidence comes from competence. So if you’re someone who’s used to being a finisher, the thought of asking others to do things can feel like a self-betrayal. You’re outsourcing a chance to validate your identity.

Be honest. It’s OK if you feel this way. It’s quite normal, actually. And there’s no crime in thinking it, so long as you recognise the thought and catch it before it does damage.

It hurts the team, because you’re going to become a bottleneck. Spread thin, you’re not going to be able to deliver at the standard you want.

But the key point here, and I can’t stress this enough, is it hurts you. The longer you grip to trying to be involved in everything, the slower your team’s development. And the slower yours.

Focus on detaching from the process. Set goals and throw your support behind getting people there. If they fall behind, resist the urge to say ‘This is why I should do it’, and instead think ‘What can I do to help them better next time?’

Your sole focus now is on getting the best out of others. Get good at that.

Failing to Understand Authority, Responsibility, and Accountability

Responsibility refers to the task. You’ve charged someone else with doing it, so you need to step back. Don’t focus on the how. Just be clear on the expected results, then step back and let them do their magic.

Authority is the delegated power you’re giving someone to action the task. Be very clear to communicate the parameters and boundaries for them to make decisions within, such as any budgetary restraints.

Accountability is them taking ownership of the task and answering for their decisions and actions. This includes both rewards and penalties (if any).

You want your team to feel empowered when you delegate. Don’t see it as giving up your authority, but instead it’s sharing some for everyone’s benefit.

Not Making Enough Time

Sometimes it feels like it’s easier to just do something yourself. Finding the time to explain something properly so it’s done can feel like an avoidable waste of time. Especially when there are impending deadlines.

But what does future you want? For X% of your day to always be taken up by doing mindless, repetitive tasks? Or that these are off your plate so you can use that time for other things?

And so what if it does take a while at the start? That’s a worthwhile investment. Take the short-term pain for the long-term gain. Otherwise it’s short-term gain for long-term pain.

Factor time for this into any plan. If things take longer at first, that’s a price worth paying. Because over time you’ll get that time back. Have faith.

Not Setting Clear Expectations

There’s nothing more gutting for an employee than working hard on something, submitting what you think is a great piece of work, then hearing your boss say ‘no, not like that’.

As Steve Radcliffe, author of Leadership Plain and Simple, puts it, “You have to be totally clear on the standard you’re looking for and be totally clear on when exactly you need this by”.

Sometimes we might struggle to properly articulate our expectations because we don’t want to seem fussy or demanding. But getting over this is a necessary tax for overall smoother communication and easier delegation.

Brené Brown, in her excellent book dare to lead, suggests you agree on ‘what done looks like’ before you start. Have a clear picture in both of your minds. Workshop it until you’re in alignment.

People love clarity. Just make sure you’re consistent.

Not Letting Go

The key to effective leadership is being able to let go of the responsibilities and let someone else work on it to meet the aims you’ve given.

All the time you spend on tasks that could be delegated is taking time away from tasks that can’t be. You should be filling your time first and foremost with that which only you can do. Anything else should default to others.

Not letting go hurts trust in the team, and damages morale. It’s hard to motivate people if they never feel like they’ve got some autonomy.

But one of the key reasons people struggle to let go is…

A Fear of Failure

As your responsibilities increase, you need to rely more on managing, rather than doing.

This is hard for some people. Because it means confronting two powerful fears: The fear of standards slipping. And the fear of being overshadowed.

The latter requires a mindset shift. You’re not judged on your individual performance as a manager anymore. You’re success lives and dies with the team. So if they’re performing, you’re performing. Good managers get the best out of people. And math this out. Do you only want a team of people who do work worse that you?

The former takes courage. People are going to do things differently. Not necessarily better or worse, but we all have our own way of working. And whereas when you’re a line worker, you can feel comfortable knowing ‘whatever happens, I will try my best’, you can’t know for certain if your staff feel the same way. But see there’s the beauty in it. Both ideas — you trying your best, and whether your team feel that way — are possible, you just need to think from a different perspective.

As a leader, you trying your hardest is you getting the best out of your team. And how do you do that? With motivation, management, coaching, development, support, and leadership. Your effort now is on being the best you can be at these things, so you can inspire your team to great things.

And at the end of the day, projects will go wrong. But this is just part of your development journey: you win, or you learn.

Some powerful lessons hiding in failures and setbacks:

• Did you communicate clearly? Were your expectations clear?
• Was the team member the right person for the task?
• Could you have provided more support?
• What will you change next time?

TL;DR

A lot of people struggle with delegation.

If you’re one of them, don’t worry. It might feel hard now, but it doesn’t have to stay that way.

Learn to do it well, and you’ll change your life.

The key advice to help you improve is:

1. Don’t attach your identity to your tasks
2. Recognise and utilise the difference between responsibility, authority, and accountability
3. Make time to coach people to the standard you expect
4. Set clear goals and expectations
5. Let go and trust your team
6. Don’t fear failure; see it for the teacher it is