No matter how talented you are, you can't do it all. There simply aren't enough hours in the day. Exceptional leaders understand a truth that's humbling and freeing at once: you cannot be successful all by yourself.
Delegation — a genuine art and skill — lets you take on bigger work than you could alone, enroll others in your vision, develop your people, free your time for higher priorities, and build a real team spirit. But knowing how to delegate, who to delegate to, and what to hand off can be tricky. Here are the guidelines we share with the leaders we coach.
Pick People Who Can Accept Responsibility
Not everyone is ready for every challenge. Highly successful people say they get their work done through others — and in the same breath, "surround yourself with good people." As Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus put it, if you don't surround yourself with the best people possible, you'll end up doing everything yourself. Look for people who are competent, entrepreneurial, organized, and unafraid of decisions.
Delegate to Strengths and Interests
Match the person to the task. Assessment tools like DISC and Values help you align work with people's natural behaviors, motivations, and interests. As Dale Carnegie wrote, "The only way on earth to influence the other fellow is to talk about what he wants and show him how to get it."
Respect the Learning Curve
The person may not do it perfectly at first, and you may be tempted to snatch it back. Before you do, weigh the time you'd lose now against the time you'll save over the long run by letting them learn.
Start With Low-Risk Assignments
Test the waters. Handing off lower-stakes work first limits the damage if something goes wrong — and builds the person's confidence for bigger responsibilities later.
Explain the Why, Not Just the What
People connect to their why. Help others see how their work fits the bigger picture. When team members feel connected to a larger purpose, they respond better when things go sideways, act more autonomously when you're unavailable, and look for ways to be more effective.
Let People Put Their Own Spin on It
Their approach might actually be an improvement on yours. Stay open to their ideas, even when you ultimately decide to go a different way.
Communicate and Make Clear Agreements
Use language the person understands, and skip the jargon unless you're sure it lands. Practice active listening and ask them to paraphrase what they heard and what you've agreed to. You'll sometimes be surprised by the gap between what you said and what they understood — which is exactly why this step matters.
Check In on What You Delegate
Even with a competent person you trust, get regular progress reports. As one CEO put it, "A lot of things get mixed in translation. You have to be very careful your message gets through — and the only way to find out is to check in along the way." A well-timed check-in keeps a project from quietly getting buried.
Assign Priorities and a Due Date
SMART goals work because they're Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Time-based. When you hand off a task, agree clearly on when it's due.
Don't Hog the Credit
"Thank you" is a simple phrase that does enormous work. If you want help — and you want to keep getting it — be generous with praise. As the legendary Coca-Cola leader Robert Woodruff kept posted in his office: "There is no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he doesn't mind who gets the credit."
Help People Feel Good About Their Work
Bernie Marcus believed good delegation is the best way to retain great people. Loyalty alone won't hold them; they have to feel good about what they're doing, feel safe enough to make mistakes, and feel genuinely excited to come in.
The Bottom Line
You become an exceptional leader by helping others become successful at what they do. Delegation isn't dumping tasks — it's a skill you develop over time, and one of the highest-leverage ones you'll ever build.
Adapted from the original by Harvey Smith, CEO of Institute Success, with inspiration from "Time Tactics of Very Successful People" by B. Eugene Griessman.