Ever notice how “I’ll just do it” feels efficient and heroic, right up until you’re answering emails at 10 p.m. and your team waits on you for every decision? We dig into the invisible costs of holding on and the practical steps that turn delegation from a guilt trip into a growth engine.

We start by calling out the classic excuses leaders use to avoid asking for help and why those patterns create yes‑people instead of thinkers. Then we flip the script: as leaders, we own the learning curve. That means setting a reasonable timeline to competence, defining clear checkpoints, and offering feedback that’s specific and time‑bound. We share concrete signals to watch during onboarding, how to rotate trainers when style is the obstacle, and when it’s time to make the tough call if milestones keep slipping. Along the way, we challenge perfectionism with a question that frees up capacity: where is solid “good enough” the right standard for the outcome?

From there, we offer a simple, high‑leverage audit to surface recurring tasks you can turn into systems. Track a few days of your real work, ask why each item had to be you, and decide who could own it next with the right tools or documentation. If no one can yet, make the next pass a teaching moment: shadow me, do it with me, do it while I watch, then you own it. This laddered handoff transforms delegation into a repeatable process that develops people while protecting quality. The payoff is a team that thinks, decides, and delivers without waiting for your inbox to clear.

If you’re ready to stop being the bottleneck and start being a multiplier, this conversation gives you the framework, language, and first steps to get moving. Subscribe for more practical leadership coaching, share this with a manager who needs it, and leave a review with one task you’ll delegate this week.