What really keeps you from delegating?
You know you should do it. You realize you can’t grow unless you do.
What gets in the way are the thoughts you have about it:
❌ It will take them longer. ❌ Last time it didn’t work out. ❌ I don’t have time to explain it. ❌ I don’t want to fix the mistakes.
You believe these thoughts are facts, so you don’t question whether they’re helping you.
The problem isn’t delegating.
The problem is your thoughts about it. These thoughts make you feel frustrated or anxious.
You’re focused on what you don’t want, and that never feels good.
So why do you do it?
Because you have evidence.
You have proof that it will take too long and your team will make mistakes because it’s happened before.
And you don’t want it to happen again.
That seems smart, right? You’re learning from your mistakes.
But what you’re really doing is dragging the past into the future.
Which means you’ll recreate it.
As business owners, this feels even bigger because mistakes cost you money and affect your reputation.
I remember an employee telling me, “You have to let me figure it out.” At the time, all I could see was what that would cost me in the moment.
The truth? It will cost you far more in the long run.
When you become the bottleneck, your team won’t learn and grow.
And they won’t stay.
When you’re the bottleneck, your business stagnates and you burn out.
So what’s the solution? Play the long game.
Recognize the illusion. Giving up control doesn’t put you at risk.
The bigger risk is trying to do everything yourself.
It’s your job to:
- Create the vision
- Decide the priorities
- Allocate resources
- Evaluate results
- Hire and coach leaders
- Model the culture
Look at your daily tasks. If they don’t fall into one of these categories, delegate them.
This doesn’t mean abdicate.
You’re not throwing a hail mary pass.
Explain the measurable outcomes you want. Ask people to bring proposed solutions for obstacles they face. Set a deadline.
Hold them accountable. This isn’t the dirty job most people think it is.
It just means following up when you said you would and evaluating results.
Start where you are. Don’t waste another day.
