I’m writing this with a couple of days of annual leave left and, inevitably, my mind has started drifting towards what will be waiting for me when I get back.
I already know there are around 700 unread emails, which is, quite honestly, ridiculous.
Thankfully, experience tells me that a good proportion of them will simply be things I’ve been copied into for information rather than emails requiring a response. So, like many leaders returning from leave, there’ll be a prioritisation exercise before anything else.
There was a time when I tied myself in knots trying to reply to every single email that landed in my inbox. If I didn’t acknowledge it, I convinced myself I was being rude or arrogant, which completely conflicted with my values.
Fast forward a few years and I’ve accepted that responding to everything simply isn’t realistic. These days, I’m surprisingly grateful for being able to leave a simple thumbs up or heart reaction. It keeps my inner critic reasonably quiet and lets people know their email hasn’t disappeared into the abyss.
As I was thinking about those 700 emails, it reminded me of something that comes up regularly in coaching conversations: delegation.
Delegation or simply distributing work?
My relationship with delegation has definitely changed over the years.
I wouldn’t say I’ve perfected it, but I’ve become much better at recognising what delegation actually is.
I think we sometimes confuse delegation with simply distributing work.
To me, distributing work is straightforward. Tasks are allocated because they naturally sit within someone’s role and responsibilities. People expect that.
Delegation feels different.
It’s about intentionally asking someone to take ownership of something that you could have done yourself.
And that’s where many leaders start to feel uncomfortable.
The stories we tell ourselves
I’ve coached leaders who struggle to delegate because they worry they’re overloading their team.
Others feel guilty asking someone else to do something they believe should sit with them.
Some worry they’ll be seen as lazy or incapable.
The intentions are almost always good.
But the consequences rarely are.
The leader becomes overwhelmed.
Everything starts to compete for attention.
Strategic thinking disappears beneath operational work.
And perhaps most importantly, opportunities for other people to grow are lost.
Delegation isn’t just about reducing your workload.
It’s one of the most powerful ways we develop people and demonstrate our trust in them.
It gives people experiences they wouldn’t otherwise have.
It stretches confidence far more effectively than another training course ever could.
My own challenge
My own relationship with delegation has evolved.
These days, I don’t struggle to share routine work.
The things I find hardest to let go of are the things I genuinely love.
I can become a bit of a hoarder when it comes to work I’m passionate about.
Part of that comes from having built expertise over many years. There’s a part of me that worries if I let go of certain pieces of work, I’ll gradually lose that expertise or become less connected to the subject.
Then there are the opportunities where someone reaches out asking specifically for me to get involved.
Perhaps it’s speaking at a conference.
Joining a project.
Contributing to a piece of work.
It feels good to be asked.
If I’m honest, there has probably been a belief somewhere that, as CEO, I should be saying yes. That staying visible, staying relevant and being the public face of the organisation somehow sits with me.
After more than fourteen years with the organisation, I’ve represented our work all over the world. It’s easy for your identity to become intertwined with being the person people think of first.
But leadership isn’t about hanging on to every opportunity.
Sometimes it’s about knowing when to let someone else step forward.
Letting other people shine
Over the past few months, I’ve been making a much more conscious effort to do exactly that.
When requests come in, I’ve found myself suggesting colleagues instead.
People who’ve been delighted to take on a project that stretches them beyond their usual role.
I’ve passed speaking opportunities to colleagues who are now far more knowledgeable than I am on particular topics.
I’ve encouraged others to attend conferences where they’re better placed to contribute than I would be.
And every single time, the organisation has been stronger because of it.
Delegation is an investment
I think delegation is one of those leadership skills that becomes easier once we stop seeing it as giving work away.
Instead, we start seeing it as investing in other people.
Yes, it frees up our own capacity.
But that’s only part of the story.
Done well, delegation builds confidence.
It develops future leaders.
It increases resilience across teams.
And it creates organisations that don’t rely too heavily on one individual.
Ironically, one of the best ways to demonstrate your value as a leader isn’t by proving you can do everything yourself.
It’s by creating opportunities for other people to discover what they’re capable of.
Because leadership isn’t measured by how indispensable we become.
It’s measured by how many other people grow because we were willing to let go.
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