If you’ve ever found yourself frustrated that a task you delegated somehow landed right back on your plate…
If your team feels unclear, hesitant, or even resentful when work is handed off…
If you’re toggling between micromanaging and giving too much freedom…
You’re not alone.
And more importantly – you’re not failing. You just the right tools to land in the sweet spot of empowerment.
This blog is the first in a 3-part series where we’ll unpack the real dynamics of delegation. Over the coming weeks, we’ll cover:
- Part 1 (this post): The Mental Model – how strategy, inputs, and outputs work together to empower others
- Part 2: Dumping, Dictating, or Delegating? – a deep dive into the 5 Steps of Empowerment
- Part 3: 360° Delegation – teaches how to ask questions to fill in the 5 Steps before you start delegating
Let’s begin with the foundational shift that makes all the difference.
Why Delegation Fails: The Problem Isn’t Your Team – It’s the Model
When I first stepped into executive leadership, I kept running into the same frustrating pattern:
- I would delegate work, only to have it bounce back into my lap.
- My team felt like I was either way too hands-on or completely unavailable.
- I was stuck in meetings trying to run everything myself – and exhausted by it.
Eventually, I had to face the truth:
Delegation wasn’t failing because of my team. It was failing because of my mindset.
Delegation isn’t about offloading tasks. It’s a transference of empowerment.
It’s about teaching others to execute effectively – even when you’re not in the room.
That insight led me to create a simple yet powerful mental model that reframed how I lead.
Here’s what it looks like:
The Mental Model: Strategy → Inputs → Outputs
1. Strategy: Align Early and Often
Before your team jumps into action, slow down and align on the strategy.
I’ve found it helpful to say to my team, “We’re going to spend a lot of time together at the beginning – not because I want to control everything, but because I want to make sure we’re clear on expectations.”
This is your chance to:
- Co-create the approach (especially with high performers)
- Clarify what’s firm vs. flexible (see my Firm vs Flexible blog for more on this framework)
- Set expectations before execution begins
Alignment on strategy gives your team clarity and gives you confidence they will produce something that aligns to what you are expecting.
You’ll spend less time fixing work later and more time celebrating success.
Trap: Sometimes we think, “Well, I don’t want to tell them what to do so I will let them run with it a bit and see what they come up with.” However, there is a difference between aligning on the critical few “non-negotiables,” and outlining the entire task. Alignment is a back-and-forth until we have those hard parameters outlined, the creativity can come in how they fill in the rest.
2. Inputs: Give Freedom with Reasonable Inspection
Micromanagement kills trust – and so does neglect.
The answer lies in the middle: freedom in execution, paired with reasonable inspection. Your team members have a skills and capabilities and if we try to execute for them, they never get the chance to stretch their legs and execute in their own way. Its like the age-old story of loading the dishwasher- everyone has a way of doing it. But ultimately, we need to let our team have the chance to load it their own way and execute the task – without us hanging over every dish.
But it also does not mean we hand off and hope for the best. Hope is not a plan. So, what does “reasonable inspection” look like?
- For junior team members or complex projects: more frequent check-ins, pairing with a mentor, daily or weekly reviews.
- For experienced team members: more autonomy, milestone-based updates, and trust in their execution style.
There were definitely times I brought someone new into the team and, “didn’t want to micromanage them.” But micromanaging and staying close by ensure great execution the first time at bat, are not the same thing. I know that I love autonomy – it’s why I became a senior leader! However, there are times when I had to lean in and other times I had to recognize my own senior team needed space. Judgement is key!
Inspection should match the level of risk, experience, and complexity – not your comfort level.
Avoid the “lob and leave” trap – dropping a project over the fence with no support. But also resist the urge to peek at every input and dictate every move.
Your role? Clear the path, not control the process.
3. Outputs: Hold Accountable for their Delivery
When the expectations and strategy was clearly aligned on, and the team member had the real freedom to execute clear and inputs, you earn the right to hold your team accountable – for real results. Their results.
But accountability isn’t about punishment. It’s about holding them responsible:
- Recognition: Celebrate the wins publicly and personally. They earned it.
- Redirection: When results miss the mark, don’t take the project back – lean in with specific, real-time coaching.
Ask:
- What worked?
- What needs to change?
- How can we grow from this?
Empowerment doesn’t mean abdication. It means creating a culture where feedback is constant, constructive, and confidence-building.
The Leadership Shift: From Control to Empowerment
If you want to:
- Free up your own capacity
- Grow leaders around you
- Create a team that doesn’t need you in every room…
Then this is the mental model to master.
It’s not glamorous. It takes intentionality, conversations, and discipline. But it’s the foundation of scalable leadership – and it’s how executives lead at the next level.
Up Next in the Series
This blog is just the beginning. In Part 2, we’ll explore the difference between Dumping, Dictating, and Delegating – and walk through the 5 Steps of Empowerment that every leader must learn.
Until then, start here:
- Where am I skipping alignment on strategy?
- Where am I micromanaging inputs or stepping unreasonably far back?
- Where do I need to hold my team accountable more with either celebration for their work well done with coaching to improve?
Great delegation starts with clarity – and clarity starts with you.
Reagan’s Rule:
If you want to delegate then invest in alignment, give freedom, and hold them accountable for their real results.
