The Core Idea
Delegation fails when leaders transfer tasks instead of outcomes. The difference is ownership. When you delegate a task, you’re still responsible for the result. When you delegate an outcome, you’ve created a leader who owns the result.
This shift—from task assignment to outcome ownership—is what separates managers who scale from those who become bottlenecks.
Key Insights
The 70% Rule
If someone can do the job 70% as well as you, delegate it. Your 30% improvement isn’t worth the bottleneck you create by holding onto it. The math is simple: one person doing 10 things at 100% produces less than 10 people doing 10 things at 70%.
Outcome Ownership Transfer
Don’t say “Send the weekly report.” Say “You own client communication. The goal is zero surprises. Figure out how to make that happen.” The first creates a task-doer. The second creates a problem-solver who thinks about outcomes, not activities.
The Question Test
If your team asks you “how” questions constantly, you’ve delegated tasks. If they ask you “what” and “why” questions occasionally, you’ve delegated outcomes. The type of questions you receive is a diagnostic for how well you’ve transferred ownership.
What I’m Applying
- Audit current delegations—am I transferring tasks or outcomes?
- Identify 3 things I’m holding onto that pass the 70% rule
- Reframe my next delegation as outcome ownership, not task assignment
- Track the questions I receive—use as diagnostic for delegation quality
Notable Quotes
”Your job as a leader is to make yourself unnecessary for day-to-day operations while remaining essential for direction and culture."
"The best delegation creates leaders who can delegate themselves. It’s recursive. That’s how you build an organization that scales.”