It’s very rare that my husband and I find a TV series that we agree on. In our twenty years together, I can count on one hand the shows that we’ve actually sat down and watched together. They are, in no particular order, Turn: Washington Spies, Hunting Hitler, Outlander, Hell on Wheels, and The Last Kingdom. Clearly, there is a theme here. And, I wonder if I compromise much more than I give myself credit for (I mean, you don’t see Emily in Paris or Bridgerton on this list!).
Anyway… this week, we started watching Manhunt which is based on the book Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer by James L. Swanson. I’m not going to debate the historical accuracy of the Apple original series, but I do want to draw attention to one of the characters, Edwin Stanton. Stanton was the United States Secretary of War from 1862 to 1868 and was responsible for organizing the military resources of the North during the Civil War and later led the manhunt for President Lincoln’s assassinator, John Wilkes Booth.
What struck me several times throughout the first few episodes was Stanton’s resistance to delegation (whether factual or not). In fact, Stanton’s character suffered from fairly severe asthma and his wife, Ellen, asked him, “Have you ever met a problem you could delegate?” Apparently, not, as he is seen traveling up and down the East Coast personally playing detective, despite his doctor’s warnings.
The assassination of a President certainly calls for massive (and perhaps unconventional) action. But for Stanton’s fictional character, it appears his inability to delegate well is not new. And, it begs the question, “Why don’t leader’s delegate, even if they know they should?”
Why Don’t Leaders Delegate?
Not all leaders are hesitant to delegate. Some live for it! But, it’s important to understand why some leaders are resistant to delegation so that their team (and especially their Force Multipliers) can help. Leaders may not delegate for a variety of reasons, including, but not limited to:
- Fear of losing control – Delegation can seem risky. When leaders, especially founders, no longer have their hands in every part of their business, it’s harder to know exactly what is getting done. If they don’t delegate, they can still feel “in control” even though it can lead to inefficiencies, burnout, and lack of growth.
- Perfectionism – If you want something done right, then do it yourself, right? Wrong! If you want something done exactly the way you would do it, then sure. But consider The 70% Rule of Delegation. If someone else can complete the task at least 70% as well as you can, you should delegate it to them. This allows delegation to occur before it begins to have adverse effects on the team and company.
- Lack of trust – Trust takes time. However, if leaders and their team start building trust from day one, they can mitigate the risk they feel in delegating.
- Losing significance and influence – Sometimes leaders will hold on to too many projects, tasks, and decisions, because if they let go, they fear they will no longer bring value to the team. This hit to the ego, coupled with fear of losing their place of influence can hold leaders back from delegating. If one of their primary values is significance, they will be hard pressed to give up responsibilities where they feel they can help, add value, or be in control. It doesn’t always come from a negative place. When they lose significance and influence, imposter syndrome can kick in, and an easy way to combat that is by hanging on to the things (i.e. not delegating) even if they know they should.
This lack of delegation regularly extends to a leader’s Executive Assistant or Force Multiplier. The very person they should be delegating to most often! While entrepreneurs and leaders may be hesitant to delegate to their Force Multiplier for all of the aforementioned reasons, I think it most often comes down to two things:
1. The leader does have full trust in their Executive Assistant or Chief of Staff, for whatever reason (e.g. they’ve never worked with an EA before, they had a bad prior experience with a Force Multiplier, their EA has made several mistakes, their Chief of Staff is brand new, etc.).
2. The leader is not sure what to delegate.
Let’s tackle the issue of trust first (a huge barrier to delegation). Merriam-Webster defines trust as: assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something. Subjective, much? Trust is personal. I may trust you, but you may not trust me in return or vice versa. It’s a complex human experience, yet one of the most important elements of a successful Force Multiplier and leader partnership. As I mentioned before, trust takes time, but it can be helped along with an intentional commitment between colleagues to work on it. For some strategies on how to build trust check out Building Your Strategic Partnership with the Trust Triangle and How to Build Trust Between Executive Assistants and CEOs.
Now, as for not knowing how or what to delegate? Here’s a simple rule of thumb: If it’s not part of a leader’s 20% of their role (for most leaders that means casting the vision, providing clarity and direction, making high quality decisions, and leading revenue generating activities such as sales, M&A, and new business development), then it should be delegated. And if they need help taking those other projects and tasks off their plate, that’s where a great Force Multiplier comes in. An Executive Assistant or Force Multiplier can help capture various projects, tasks, ideas, and communication that fall outside of their Principal’s 20%, and then get to work either handling it themselves or figuring out who it needs to be delegated to next. All while keeping track of said items and keeping them all moving forward.
If a leader isn’t sure what to delegate, their first course of action should be to ask their Executive Assistant. A great EA will know!
The Cost of Not Delegating
Leaders, remember, if you aren’t delegating to your assistant, then you are the assistant and then why did you hire one in the first place? A talented Force Multiplier can significantly lighten the entrepreneur or Principal’s load (mentally and tactically), allowing them to focus on high-impact areas like growth and innovation.
Missed opportunities for new business partnerships, to develop talent within your organization, to expand a product offering, to plan for the future, and more, are all possible when a leader fails to delegate.
Furthermore, talented team members, particularly Force Multipliers, will hesitate to stay with a leader who withholds information and access, fails to delegate, and stifles their growth (intentionally or not).
Force Multipliers Need to Delegate Too!
This delegation conversation extends to Force Multipliers too! Remember The 70% Delegation Rule. If someone, or perhaps something (software, AI, etc.), can handle it at least 70% as well as you could, then delegate. While you may not have a direct report, they might be someone else in the organization who can help. In fact, holding on to too many proejts and tasks for too long may not only keep you from growing in your role and career, but can have an adverse effect on the organization’s growth (which is the last thing you probably intended!).
If you’re unsure if delegation is an option, talk to your leader. Discuss what projects or decisions they want you to own from beginning to end (maybe they want you to handle all CEO comms) and which types of tasks you’re free to delegate (perhaps a travel agent is an option). I’ve found over the years that most leaders just care about the results and are confident you will make sure the task or project is handled. But they ultimately don’t care who does it, as long as you make sure it’s done. Once you have an idea of what you can, and should delegate, keep building those strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders. Your ability to organize, communicate, delegate, and ultimately ensure completion of a project or task, is far more valuable to your Principal than you personally handling everything.
Embrace Delegate to Unlock Growth
Whether you’re the founder or the Force Multiplier, no one succeeds alone. And you can both get a hell of a lot more done (usually more effectively and with higher quality) when you delegate well.
Delegation is not a sign of weakness or incompetence; rather, it is a strategic tool that can unlock growth, innovation, and efficiency. Leaders, entrepreneurs, and Force Multipliers must recognize the importance of delegation and actively work to overcome the barriers that prevent them from embracing it.
And, sure, it may not actually be life or death, but good delegation could be the difference between success and failure of your company or your career. Something worth considering the next time you find yourself saying, “I’ll just do it myself.”
Entrepreneurs and leaders are you delegating? Are you delegating the right items to the right people? What are you holding on to that you need to let go of? Force Multipliers, what keeps you from delegating? What can you delegate today to allow you to provide more strategic, high-impact support to your leader?
