How to Delegate Tasks Effectively in Consulting

"I'll delegate when I find good people." Translation: "I'll trust them after they prove themselves." Plot twist: They can't prove themselves until you trust them. Break the loop. Delegate to develop. Here's how: 1️⃣ What should you delegate? Everything. Not a joke. You need to design yourself completely out of your old job. Set your sights lower and you'll delegate WAY less than you should. But don't freak out: Responsibly delegating this way will take months. 2️⃣ Set Expectations w/ Your Boss The biggest wild card when delegating: Your boss.  Perfection isn't the target. Command is.  - Must-dos: handled  - Who you're stretching   - Mistakes you anticipate   - How you'll address Remember: You're actually managing your boss. 3️⃣ Set Expectations w/ Yourself  Your team will not do it your way.  So you have a choice: - Waste a ton of time trying to make them you?   - Empower them to creatively do it better?  Remember: 5 people at 80% = 400%. 4️⃣ Triage Your Reality - If you have to hang onto something -> do it.  - If you feel guilty delegating a miserable task -> delete it.  - If you can't delegate them anything -> you have a bigger problem. 5️⃣ Delegate for Your Development  You must create space to grow. Start here:   1) Anything partially delegated -> Completion achieves clarity.  2) Where you add the least value -> Your grind is their growth.  3) The routine -> Ripe for a runbook or automation. 6️⃣ Delegate for Their Development Start with the stretch each employee needs to excel. Easiest place to start: ask them how they want to grow. People usually know. And they'll feel agency over their own mastery. Bonus: Challenge them to find & take that work. Virtuous cycle. 7️⃣ Set Expectations w/ Your Team  Good delegation is more than assigning tasks:  - It's goal-oriented  - It's written down  - It's intentional When you assign "Whys" instead of "Whats", You get Results instead of "Buts". 8️⃣ Climb The Ladder Aim for the step that makes you uncomfortable:     - Steps over Tasks  - Processes over Steps  - Responsibilities over Processes  - Goals over Responsibilities   - Jobs over Goals  Each rung is higher leverage. 9️⃣ Don't Undo Good Work Delegating & walking away - You need to trust. But you also need to verify. - Metrics & surveys are a good starting point. Micromanaging - That's your insecurity, not their effort. - Your new job is to enable, motivate & assess, not step in. ✅ Remember: You're not just delegating tasks. - You're delegating goals. - You're delegating growth. - You're delegating greatness. The best time to start was months ago.  The next best time is today. 🔔 Follow Dave Kline for more posts like this. ♻️ And repost to help those leaders who need to delegate more.

The most important tool I deploy as a manager is the "Task Relevant Maturity" (TRM) framework. TRM enables me + my team to get the right support based on *each task* I delegate. When done right, it supercharges output & empowers the team. Let's dig in ↓ An easy mistake for managers to make is to assume a high performer at one task = a high performer at all tasks. At some point, this unrealistic expectation will bite you or your high performer in the 🍑. TRM is a framework that helps managers account for variations in skill level that *any* team member will have. It calls for providing support based on a team member's experience & confidence with any task vs. an overall perception of their performance. Here's how I use it ↓ Whenever I delegate a new task to a team member, we have the same convo. First, we gauge competence: Have they done this task before and have they done it well? Then, we gauge confidence: Are you excited about this task? Different answers = different types of support from me. Example: Let's say a team member is really excited about doing a task they've never done before. They're low competence (it's new!), but high confidence (enthusiastic). To support them, I'll be very directive but give them tons of space to tackle it on their own. On the other hand, if I'm delegating a task to somebody who is high competence (they've done the task a lot!), but low confidence (...so they're bored with it), I'll do more coaching. I'll map the task to its impact – not just for the company, but for the team member's career. It took me a long time to perfect the implementation of TRM (I needed lots of practice 😅 ), but the results for my team have been 10x that effort. Team members are able to level up their skills and can get more work done while feeling good about doing it. It's worth it.

In the last decade of building Quadrant Technologies, we went from a small team to 2000+ members. It’s been a great ride, but one of the biggest challenges we’ve faced has been ⤵ DELEGATION To be more precise - how to delegate the right way. After conversing with fellow entrepreneurs and mentors, I realized I am not alone. This is something that almost every entrepreneur battles with. 👉 What’s the solution? Over the years, I found a framework immensely successful. We utilize it actively at Quadrant Technologies. Jenny Blake, a career and business strategist & author of the book PIVOT: The Only Move That Matters Is Your Next One, suggested this 6T delegation framework. Here’s my favourite 6T framework : 1️⃣ TERRIBLE AT: Know your weaknesses and delegate them. You can’t be perfect at every task, and you don’t need to be. Instead, knowing what you are not good at is your strength because now you know what to delegate. 2️⃣ TINY: Small, insignificant tasks that don’t need your attention add up to your to-do list & make you feel overwhelmed. Delegate them sooner. 3️⃣ TEDIOUS: Tasks that are not the best use of your time. As a business owner, your time is precious. Invest it in doing the tasks that move your business forward, and everything else can be done by someone else. 4️⃣ TIME-SENSITIVE: Tasks that need your urgent attention but distract you from the bigger goal. These tasks compete with your priorities. Choose your priority tasks & delegate these time-sensitive tasks. 5️⃣ TEACHABLE: List the tasks that can free up your to-do list if taught. Train your team members & delegate. Once your team is trained, they can always handle that work, saving you time. 6️⃣ TIME-CONSUMING: Delegate the tasks that consume a lot of your time but don’t yield big results. Follow the 80/20 rule here. Delegate the tasks that consume 80% of your time & are only 20% effective. Focus on the tasks that take 20% of your time but give 80% of the results. --------------------- Delegation is a skill that’s learned over time. This is one of the frameworks that helped us immensely in delegating work effectively. What has been your go-to delegation framework/tips? I would love to hear your perspective in the comments. #delegation #leadership

“I know I need to delegate more, but some things are too complex to hand off.” Sound familiar? This mindset keeps many founders stuck in the weeds instead of leading strategically. Let me share a practical framework I use with clients: The Delegation Staircase. It transforms overwhelming handoffs into manageable steps: Step 1: Let them shadow you • You do the task while they observe • Debrief afterward to share your thinking process • Build understanding through observation Step 2: They observe and explain • They watch you again • This time, they explain your rationale • They articulate why you made specific decisions, and you provide feedback Step 3: They do, you debrief • They perform the task • You review together • You provide feedback on what you might have done differently Step 4: They take ownership • They handle the task independently • Optional: You give final approval before delivery • Gradually remove the approval step based on competence The key? You don't have to jump straight to full delegation. Each step builds confidence - both yours and theirs. This approach has helped dozens of founders successfully delegate complex tasks, from board presentations to client strategies. What else has helped you delegate complex tasks? Or what other delegation challenges do you have? #StartupLeadership #Delegation #LeadershipDevelopment #ExecutiveCoaching

Built 3 companies to $200M. Here's what I learned about delegation: Most CEOs think they're bad at delegating. The real problem? They're delegating wrong. The hard truth: You're not protecting your team by doing everything.     You're: Burning yourself out Bottlenecking growth Breaking trust     Your team needs to feel valued, not protected. Here's my proven system:     1. The Mindset Shift I used to think:  "No one can do this as well as me." Reality check:  When I got a concussion and couldn't work, my team excelled.     They just needed space to step up.     2. The Success Formula Before delegating any task, define: • What does success look like? • What's the deadline? • What resources are needed? • How will we measure results?     Clarity creates confidence.     3. The Communication Machine Create clear channels: • Slack = company chatter • Notion = project discussions • Email = external only • Weekly memos = alignment     No one-off conversations about projects. No decisions in DMs.     4. The Trust Test Ask yourself: "Would I pay someone $1M/year to do what I'm doing right now?" If not, why are YOU doing it? Your job is to: • Set vision • Build systems • Lead strategy • Make key decisions Delegate everything else.     5. The Weekly Ritual Every Friday, ask: • What did I do this week that someone else could do? • What meetings could I skip? • Where am I the bottleneck? • What systems need building?     Then take action.     6. The Team Power-Up Your team needs to know: • Where we're going • Why it matters • How they contribute • What success looks like     Give them this clarity, and they'll surprise you. The Final Truth: A CEO doing $10/hour tasks is a $10/hour CEO. Your company needs you operating at your highest level. Delegation isn't about doing less. It's about focusing on what matters most.   ♻️ Repost to help a leader in your network  🔔 Follow Christine Carrillo for more