I arrive in a meeting with a new client, the managing partner of a large and successful hedge fund. Before I have a chance to say anything much at all, he blurts out ‘The problem is I am surrounded by idiots. I have to do everything myself, otherwise it doesn’t get done properly. It is impossible, I have no time.’
The ‘idiots’ he is surrounded by are his team of senior executives, headhunted from some of the most successful corporate entities. Self-evidently, these people are not idiots – but I understand exactly what he means – his complaint is a very common one, I have lost count of the number of senior leaders who have voiced a version of this same issue.
The core of the problem is that perfectionists and very high achievers who have made their way to the top of the ladder as a consequence of their abilities expect the same standards from everyone else – and not just the same standards – also often for others to operate in exactly the same way that they do.
When others do not meet these very particular and exacting standards, they are not trusted to complete work without close supervision. The leader is left micromanaging everything and everyone to achieve the results they want – but they still only have 24 hours a day in which to do so.
This article discusses how to delegate when you do not want to – it is for those leaders with exceptionally high standards who have to find a way to delegate in order to retain their sanity, without compromising on the results they want to achieve.
Table of Contents
Why Delegation Produces Poor Results
Let’s first have a look at some common reasons why staff may not be meeting expectations when leaders delegate.
The Fear Factor
One element of the equation which often plays a big role in the dynamic of delegation is fear. In any scenario it is common for subordinates to be wary of their boss – after all, they have the ability to hire and fire, as well as control the day-to-day lived experience of the person.
However, with leaders who are very high achievers this factor can be significantly amplified. Such achievement may well be very impressive – but it is also often intimidating. Subordinates know the capabilities of their leaders, know what standard they operate at and can become paralysed to some extent by the weight of expectations they feel. They want to do well and want to impress their boss so much, that they overthink, procrastinate or rush through work to produce results quickly for example, to try to please.
This fear can of course then be further exacerbated if the leader shows irritation, dissatisfaction or similar when work has not been completed in exactly the way they wanted it to be.
This can quickly develop into a self-fulfilling cycle – the team member tries to meet expectations, perceives themselves as failing as a consequence of the leader’s reactions, becomes more anxious which exacerbates the problem and results in further negative feedback from the leader, and so on and so forth. Eventually the leader stops delegating, or delegates with close supervision – neither of which helps either the confidence or performance of the member of staff, or the efficient time management of the leader.
Communication Issues
Many high achieving leaders fall into the trap of assuming that just because something is blindingly obvious to them, it must be so to everyone else. The two main problems with this assumption are of course that first, other people do not necessarily have the same knowledge or information as the leader does, and second, that everyone’s brains work in different ways.
‘I don’t have time to explain everything, it is much quicker and easier if I just do it myself’.
Probably true in the short term, usually not so much in the long term.
Very high achievers are often laser-focused – it is all about the task to be achieved. They have usually got to where they are by completing work themselves, without having to explain or expand on it to anyone else in any significant way. Just because you are fantastic at short selling for example, does not mean you are automatically great at communicating in a clear, inspiring and productive way.
Discover how to harness our natural tendencies to produce better employee satisfaction and performance in our article ‘Increasing Employee Success’. |
Habits That Are Formed
Subordinates will respond to the reactions of their boss – if their boss makes it clear that work is not being completed in the way they want it to be, and intervenes to deal with it themselves regularly, staff will become accustomed to this and stop trying to take the initiative. They will refer to their leader for everything – because that is what they think the leader wants.
‘I spend all day being interrupted, even about which colours to have for the recycling bins’.
It is much easier to ask, and be certain you will get something right, than it is to try to take your own decision and risk displeasure. The leader routinely checks and micromanages, the staff become accustomed to being checked on and micromanaged, and everyone gets in the habit of complying with this system.
The leader ends up complaining that they are having to constantly micromanage, and the staff ensure that the leader constantly micromanages because they think that it what the leader wants – plus it is the safest option for them.
Inappropriate Delegation
Very high performers often find complex issues very simple – and cannot understand why others do not similarly find them easy.
In addition, the gifted can often ‘see things’ that others can’t – they have a vision of what they want to achieve, an understanding of where something is going or a unique mental schema they are using – this can result in tasks being delegated without the staff member truly understanding what is needed as the outcome.
As a result, senior leaders can often fail to appreciate the complexity of a task they are delegating for the other person, or fail to delegate it in a comprehensible way. Either way, if you are not delegating tasks within the capabilities of the delegee, and/or not providing a full enough explanation, you are setting yourself up for the delegation to be a failure.
Discover a rapid, high-impact and comprehensive alternative to classic multi-source assessment in our article ‘Fast Alternative to 360-degree Feedback’. |
Incapable Staff
Sometimes it is simply the case that staff are underperforming because they are incapable of meeting the standards the leader needs from them and sets for them. If so, then it goes without saying that the usual protocols should be followed to assist them, and ultimately if this is unsuccessful they must be replaced.
However, if you are facing a scenario where you are ‘surrounded by idiots’, then it is unlikely that the problem lies entirely with incapable staff, or that firing and replacing everyone around you is the best solution.
How to Delegate When You Do Not Want To
So, what are the solutions? How do you delegate without compromising on standards or without having to micromanage everything that you try to delegate?
Although every situation has its individual challenges, the following solutions can be commonly applied and are usually successful in allowing the leader to start to properly delegate, whilst maintaining their standards.
Learn about different leadership styles and how to harness the power of context-driven leadership for greater results and leadership longevity in our article ‘Perfecting Leadership Style: The Importance of Context’. |
1 – Modify the Level of Detail of Your Instructions
Saying ‘Is that clear?’, or something similar when giving instructions often results in a false affirmation – people generally don’t want to admit that they don’t understand something, especially to their boss.
If in doubt, it is usually better to overexplain than underexplain. You will soon start to receive social cues from people if you are explaining too much, and it will be clear from the results you achieve when people fully understand what you are asking of them. You can dial it back if necessary as time goes on, but starting with a clear and full explanation of what you want is rarely a bad thing to do.
To find out more about why, when and how to apply micromanagement to increase the performance and results of a team, take a look at our article ‘The Art of Strategic Micromanagement’. |
2 – Make Your Goals Clear, Not Just Your Immediate Instructions
Taking a few extra moments to outline what you ultimately want to achieve – in other words what overall outcome you are looking for – usually pays dividends when it comes to delegation. When people understand what you are aiming for, they can much more precisely tailor what they are doing.
For example, you will probably achieve a very different result if instead of saying ‘Please redraft this document to be more detailed’, you say ‘I’m meeting a potential client next week who could be a huge client for us but knows nothing about this industry. Please redraft this document in layman’s terms, fully explaining any jargon and providing a detailed outline of the process we use so that they can be confident they fully understand what we do.’.
3 – ‘Once is Ok, Twice is Not’
Allowing initial space for mistakes without negative feedback and negative reinforcement can transform the results you achieve from your team.
Making it clear that the first time a mistake is made there will be no adverse consequences, providing that the mistake is admitted, understood and learnt from, gives staff the confidence they need to take on responsibility and rely more on their own initiative.
If you are not getting what you want when you delegate, dissect the issue – even if you are short on time (it will save you many multiples going forwards). Check for understanding of your instructions, any intervening factors which had an adverse effect, any skill shortfalls and a full understanding by the member of staff of why the work delegated was not up to standard needed.
Doing so, (and adapting your process as necessary based on the feedback you receive) significantly shortens the odds of you receiving work that is up to the required standard the second time.
4 – Deliberately Ask for Feedback on Yourself
Most of us are great at making assumptions and inventing reasons for others’ behaviour without ever actually asking the person why they are doing what they are doing.
If you are not getting the results you want from your delegation techniques despite your best efforts, find a way for staff to provide honest feedback – ideally anonymised. Find out exactly how they respond to your overt instructions, as well as their reactions to their perceived understanding of your subliminal instructions.
For example, as well as checking whether your instructions were detailed and clear enough, whether you were delegating tasks that your staff had the skills to complete and so on, ask how they are interpreting other aspects of your behaviour.
To illustrate the point – in one instance, I was working with a senior leader who told me that he was fed up with being constantly interrupted by people wanting ‘hand-holding’ – that it happened all day every day and for the most minor of issues. He had instructed his team that he should not be interrupted unless it was absolutely necessary, and could not understand why they were still doing so.
Upon speaking to some of his team, they reported that he interrupted them all of the time for even small issues – as such, they interpreted his definition for what was ‘absolutely necessary’ as including pretty much anything – they did to him what he did to them, assuming that this was ok and what he wanted, simply because he did it himself.
5 – ‘Improvise, Adapt and Overcome’
Understanding that delegation is not a fixed process usually helps immeasurably as well.
Situational, personal and timing issues all influence how successfully delegation can be achieved. Being flexible and agile in your approach to delegation can be hugely beneficial. The more you are able to adapt your style to each individual instance, the more success you are likely to achieve in the results of your delegated activities.
For example, you may find that one person needs discrete individual tasks delegated, whereas another works much better if handed an entire project and given the autonomy to complete it how they choose (providing the outcome is what is needed of course).
Similarly, it may be the case that when something is extremely urgent and important, people prefer very clear, rigid, ‘micro’ instructions to work from, but when something is an ongoing, collaborative piece of work, people work better with less instructions about method and minutiae, and more information about overall goals and vision.
To discover more about how to control and direct the mind, read our article ‘Mind Control in Business’. For top tips about avoiding potential problems in litigation, see our article ‘Litigation Pitfalls Businesses Should Avoid’. To read about what distinguishes a good CEO from an outstanding one, take a look at our article ‘What Makes a Great CEO?’. |
In Conclusion – How To Delegate When You Do Not Want To
Delegation is rarely easy for high achievers and perfectionists – and almost never instinctive. The very qualities that elevate leaders to the top; their strong drive, impeccable standards and absolute precision, are often the same qualities which make handing over responsibility and tasks so difficult.
Yet failing to adequately delegate is both unproductive and unsustainable. It drains time and energy, erodes focus and ultimately limits both the leader and the organisation.
The key lies in clarity of communication, an understanding of the fears and pressures your team may feel and a willingness to tolerate and learn from mistakes in the short term for long-term gain.
By explaining goals, providing the right level of detail in instructions, inviting honest feedback about yourself and adapting your approach to the individual, situation and the task, you create an environment in which delegation becomes a driver of great performance, rather than a source of frustration.
When done well, delegation builds capability and skills, strengthens trust and culture and frees leaders to focus on where their talents are most productive.
The challenge, then, is not simply ‘how to delegate when you do not want to’, but how to use tools which transform delegation from being a dreaded task with uncertain outcomes, into a highly effective and consistent technique for greater growth and success.
To learn about the transformational impact of the simple leadership skill of consistency when implemented well, take a look at our article ‘The Power of Consistency in Leadership’. |
About Mary Taylor
Mary Taylor has partnered with senior leaders from some of the world’s most recognised brands, gaining a rare perspective on life at the top of corporate organisations and the unique pressures faced by those who lead them.
While traditional executive coaching is often seen as too soft, failing to challenge entrenched behaviours or deliver meaningful change, Mary takes a very different approach. She believes coaching and consultancy should be about practical problem-solving, tackling difficult issues directly and creating strategies that generate measurable, real-worldimpact.
Her career has been as diverse as it is distinguished: from working as a leader in maximum-security prisons, to practising as a leading corporate lawyer, to qualifying as a psychologist specialised in organisational psychology. This breadth of experience allows her to offer insights which are both uncompromising and constructive – guidance that has driven transformational outcomes for top organisations worldwide.
Mary stands behind her work with a full client satisfaction guarantee. Excellence is her benchmark: if you’re not entirely satisfied, no fees are retained.
To discover how Mary can support your leadership journey, she offers a complimentary, no-obligation consultation. Whether you’re seeking information, exploring options or ready to address your most pressing challenges, she provides direct, insightful guidance tailored precisely to your goals.
