People & Leadership
If everything still comes back to you, it has not been delegated
Many founders say they delegate, then redo the work, answer every question themselves or take decisions back at the last minute. Others hand a task over with one line and then act surprised when it comes back wrong. Both feel like delegation failing, and both are fixable. This session shows how to choose what to hand over, brief it clearly, set up checks that are not hovering, and respond to the first imperfect result without taking the work back.
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A business that needs the founder for every decision cannot grow past the founder's day.
Founders usually start by doing everything, and doing it well. When the business grows, the habit stays. The founder is the fastest at most things, so handing work over feels slower, riskier and more expensive than doing it. The team learns to wait for the answer, and the founder becomes the bottleneck of their own business.
Delegation is a skill, and most founders were never taught it. It involves choosing the right tasks, being clear about the result and the limits of authority, agreeing how and when you will check, and accepting that the first attempt will not be exactly how you would have done it. This session makes each of those concrete.
What the session covers
38 topics across 7 areas. Seven parts, from what to hand over to what to do when it goes wrong. 6 apply to almost any business; the rest only in a particular case.
Why Founders Hold OnNaming the reasons makes them easier to deal with.6
- 'It is faster if I do it'
- 'Nobody will do it as carefully as I do'
- Not wanting to burden people who are already busy
- Enjoying the task, or feeling needed
- Having been let down once and not trying again
- Not having written down how the work is done
Choosing What to Hand OverStart with what is repeated, clear and low in risk.5
- Tasks done every week or month that follow the same steps
- Work that does not need your judgement, only your time
- Tasks where a mistake can be spotted and corrected
- Work somebody on the team is keen to learn
- Tasks to keep for now: pricing, key relationships, hiring and firing, and anything that puts the business at risk
Briefing a TaskA good brief takes ten minutes and saves days.7
- The outcome you want, not just the steps
- Why it matters and who it is for
- What good looks like, ideally with an example
- The deadline, and what is flexible about it
- What they may decide alone, and what they must check with you
- Where to find what they need, and who can help
- Asking them to say the brief back to you in their own words
Levels of AuthorityBe explicit about how much freedom comes with the task.5
- Level one: look into it and tell me what you find
- Level two: recommend what to do, and I will decide
- Level three: do it, then tell me what you did
- Level four: do it, and only tell me if something is unusual
- Moving a person up a level as trust is built
Checking Without HoveringAgree the check-ins in advance.5
- A date for a first draft or an early look, before the deadline
- A short regular update, in writing, from the person doing the work
- A simple way to see progress without asking
- Not stepping in at the first sign of a difference in style
- Letting small mistakes teach, and stopping the large ones early
When the Work Comes Back DifferentSeparate 'wrong' from 'not how I would have done it'.5
If you redo the work every time, the team learns that the task was never really theirs. The cost is not only your time but also their confidence.
- Is it wrong, or is it simply different?
- Say what is good about it first, honestly
- Explain the gap in the outcome, not just the method
- Let them fix it, instead of taking it back
- Ask what in the brief would have made it clearer
Reducing Founder DependencyIf it appliesFor founders whose business stops when they are away.5
- Writing down how recurring tasks are done, in short checklists
- A short list of decisions the team may make without you
- Trying one working week where you answer only what is truly needed
- Naming a person who can step in on each key task
- Reviewing what went wrong and what held, afterwards
A one-page delegation brief
- The task and the outcome wanted
- Why it matters, and who it affects
- What good looks like
- Deadline and check-in dates
- Level of authority, from one to four
Delegation habits that quietly undo the handover
- Doing it yourself at the last minute
- Answering questions instead of asking what they would do
- Changing the deadline or the goal without telling them
- Praising results but never mentioning the effort
- Delegating the task but keeping the decisions
How the session runs
An experienced employer or HR practitioner explains each part, using made-up founders and tasks. Participants list tasks from their own week, choose one to hand over, write the brief and practise delivering it in pairs. A second short exercise practises giving feedback on a piece of work that is not as expected. The session ends with each participant naming the one task they will delegate this week and the date they will check.
What your students leave with
- A list of tasks they could hand over this month, ranked by ease and benefit
- A one-page brief they can reuse for any task
- A level of authority stated for each task, from 'tell me first' to 'just do it'
- A check-in rhythm that keeps them informed without hovering
- A calm way to give feedback on work that is not as they would have done it
- A plan for reducing their own role as a bottleneck
Scheduled sessions
Nothing scheduled yet
Sessions are arranged with a college once a date is agreed. Ask us and we will find the right person for it.
A student rather than a college? See what is coming up, or ask your placement team to host this.
Delegate the task, not the worry.
Tell us who your students are and what stage they are at. Sessions are free for participants.