Reclaim Your Time. Elevate Your Leadership.
As a leader, you’re no stranger to feeling overwhelmed—constantly juggling tasks that drain your time and energy while struggling to keep up with the meaningful, change-making work that only you, as a leader, can do. At It’s the Impact, we know that leaders spend nearly half of their time on low-value tasks. But why?
For most leaders, the problem lies in holding on too tightly to tasks that could—and should—be handed off to someone else. Difficulty trusting others or relinquishing control, guilt about adding to your team’s workload, and feeling like you should manage everything yourself can all be obstacles to delegation. And until you learn how to overcome them, you’re holding both yourself and your team back.
Effective delegation allows you to focus your time and energy on the high-value leadership work that only you can do while simultaneously nurturing your team’s development and growth. By learning to let go—strategically and purposefully—you’ll become a stronger leader who builds the capacity of those around you and really drives positive, sustainable impact.
Let’s explore the tools you need to start delegating confidently and building trust in your team today.
Why Leaders Hesitate to Delegate
Delegation is such an essential and transformative tool that The Changemaker curriculum dedicates an entire month to it, including real-world exercises. On paper, handing off tasks that don’t move the organization forward sounds like a no-brainer, but in practice, many leaders hesitate. The roadblock? Your mind. You might be thinking:
“They’re not ready for this responsibility.”
“I’m the leader—I should be managing everything myself.”
“What if adding to my team’s workload overwhelms them?”
“I could probably do it better.”
“If it goes wrong, it’s my name on the line.”
These are common thoughts, but they’re just that—thoughts. Though they can feel deeply ingrained, they’re not facts. They’re assumptions rooted in fear, guilt, or the need for control, and if you’re not careful, they’ll hold you back from becoming the leader you’re meant to be. The fact is that a changemaking leader has to delegate. One person can’t possibly manage everything on their own. So how do you start?
Delegating isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Leaders face unique challenges based on their personal experiences, team dynamics, and professional goals.
The first step in becoming a better delegator is recognizing your own mental barriers. Are you trying to do everything because relying on others to get things done makes you anxious? Do you fear that, by delegating, you’ll seem less valuable or capable as a leader? Or are you worried that giving your team more work will overwhelm or anger them?
The next time you’re faced with delegating tasks pay attention to the resistant thoughts that come up. What stories or beliefs might you be telling yourself that feed into them? You have to confront them, challenge them, and take your power back from them—because until you do, you’re holding your entire team back.
What You Should Delegate
Knowing what to delegate is just as important as knowing how to do it. In The Changemaker program, we teach leaders to focus on handing off entire bodies of work, rather than bits and pieces. This gives your team autonomy and ownership over their work, elevating them from task-doers to decision-makers and helping them grow into more capable, confident leaders themselves.
Delegable work can be broken into four categories, which are listed here in order from “should always delegate” to “rarely delegate”:
Work that is not important: If it’s not moving the needle, delegate it—even if it otherwise seems urgent.
Work you’re not good at and don’t like doing: These tasks can be black holes for your time, energy, and patience. Let someone who’s better suited for them take over.
Work you’re good at but don’t enjoy: Even if you’re a pro at something, if you don’t enjoy it, delegate it if you can.
Work you’re not good at but enjoy: While this work may be enjoyable, you can’t prioritize it over essential duties—or your health. Let go of these tasks if you’re feeling overwhelmed.
But remember, the goal isn’t just to hand off tasks. True delegation means assigning complete projects where your team can successfully take ownership. For example, instead of saying, “Create this report,” try saying, “Analyze this data, draw insights and present solutions.”
How to Put It In Action
Delegation isn’t about washing your hands of the work—it’s about creating a partnership where your team feels both supported and trusted. You don’t want to be all-hands-in and micromanage, but you also can’t be so hands-off that you disappear. Balance is key.
Here’s how you set your team up to succeed:
Clear expectations: Define the end goal, timelines, and success metrics.
Autonomy: Give your team the freedom to decide how to get there.
Resources and support: Equip them with the tools they need, then step back and trust them to handle the rest.
Feedback loops: Stay connected through regular check-ins, but don’t hover. Remember: fingertips in, hands off..
Embracing Trust Through Delegation
Delegation isn’t optional for impactful leadership—it’s essential. Otherwise, you’re not just keeping those around you from reaching their potential; you’re holding yourself back from doing the work that you’re called to do and that drives progress. Let go of the tasks—and thoughts—that don’t serve you or your goals, and take charge of your growth and your team’s future.
If you and your team could benefit from more capacity-building guidance, schedule your discovery call with It’s the Impact today.