you. If every decision still funnels through the founder, growth slows, people get frustrated, and opportunities slip by. The business can’t reach its potential if you don’t let go.
done it. That’s okay. In time, you’ll find many team members surpass your expectations— and that’s the real reward of delegation.
STEP TWO: Learn the Art of Delegation Delegation is more than just assigning tasks. It’s about transferring ownership. Many founders delegate badly at first— they give someone a job but hover constantly, correcting every move. That’s micromanagement, and it signals mistrust. Instead, practice clear delegation: 1. Set context – explain why the task matters and how it connects to bigger goals. 2. Define success – be explicit about the outcome you expect, not every step of the process. 3. Give support – provide resources, tools, and access to information. 4. Step back – let the person figure out the “how” in their own way. 5. Check in, don’t check up – schedule progress reviews, but resist the urge to meddle daily. At first, you may need to accept that work won’t be done exactly as you would have
STEP THREE: Redefine Success As a founder-doer, you got dopamine hits from completing tasks—closing a sale, fixing a bug, shipping a feature. As a leader, your wins look different. Success is when your team closes the sale, fixes the bug, or ships the feature without you. That shift takes some rewiring of your brain. Celebrate the wins you didn’t directly touch. Take pride in building the system and culture that allowed them to happen.
STEP ONE: Recognize What Only You Can Do
A good starting point is to write down every recurring task on your plate. Then ask a simple question: Am I the only person who can or should do this? In most cases, the answer is “no.” Yes, you might be able to design the product mock- ups faster than anyone else, but is that really the highest and best use of your time as CEO? Probably not. On the other hand, there are things only you can do: articulating the long-term vision, building investor confidence, and shaping the culture. Focus your energy there. This exercise is humbling, but liberating. It reframes your job from“super-employee”to “chief enabler of others.”
STEP FOUR: Invest in Yourself
Leadership is a skill, not just a title. As your company grows, so should you. Consider getting a coach, joining a peer group of
40 SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • VOL 25 ISSUE 5
BUSINESS • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE 41
Made with FlippingBook Online newsletter maker