The Right Way to Delegate

How Smart Leaders Get More Done

Most leaders make the same mistake.

We hold on to everything. We fear losing control.

• We think, “It’s faster if I do it myself.”

• We think, “No one else will do it right.”

• We think, “This is too important to hand off.”

Then what happens?

We get overwhelmed.
Our team stays stuck.
We slow down everything.

The best leaders have a secret. They don't do more.
They do less.

They're masters at not doing things. Not because they're lazy.

But here’s the truth:

Delegating isn’t just dumping work on others.

It’s a skill. A process. A mindset shift.

And if you do it wrong? It backfires.

How to Delegate the Right Way

1. Identify What Only You Can Do

Most engineering leaders are buried in tasks they shouldn’t be doing.

If your to-do list is full of:
📌 Coding
📌 Emails
📌 Debugging
📌 Admin work

…You’re not leading.

My rule?

There should be a small number of things that ONLY YOU can do.

Everything else? Find someone to take it.

And no, that doesn’t mean dumping it and walking away.

It means teaching, guiding, and trusting.

2. Start Small, Then Let Go

Delegation isn’t about throwing engineers in the deep end.

It’s about guiding them.

When leading your team, don’t just say, “Go run this project.”

Walk them through it:

• Here's how I approach it.

• Here’s what to watch out for.

• Here’s the key decisions you’ll face.

Then? Let them take over.

Your team will make mistakes. That's not a problem. That's the point.

Create safety through:

• Regular check-ins (not check-ups)

• Clear escalation paths

• Celebrating attempts, not just successes

Make it safe to fail. Make it safe to grow.

At first, they needed support.
Then they got faster. Then they got better.

Until one day - they will be doing it better than you.

That’s the goal. Build a team that doesn’t need you.

3. Own the Process, Not the Task

Don't just assign work. Assign growth.
Ask:

• Who would benefit from this challenge?

• Who needs this skill for their next level?

• Who has shown interest in this area?

Here's why delegation often fails:

Engineers don't see the bigger picture. They resist tasks that seem pointless.

The solution?

Create a crystal-clear career path:

1. “Here’s how this fits into the bigger picture.”

2. “Here’s why this matters.”

3. “Here’s how you’ll grow by doing it.”

People don’t resist work. They resist meaningless work.

Give them ownership, and they’ll step up.

The Transformation

The ultimate test of your leadership isn't what you do.

It's what happens when you're not there.

Great leaders don't just lead. They build people who become leaders.

That's not just delegation.

That's multiplication.

And that's how you win.