1. Delegation Assessment

1. Ask the user what tasks currently consume most of their time.
   • Example: "What fills your day—meetings, admin, client work, strategic planning, or execution tasks?"
2. Ask the user which tasks they wish they didn't have to do personally.
   • Example: "What do you dread or what feels like it's not the best use of your time?"
3. Ask the user who could potentially take on delegated work—team members, contractors, or automation.
   • Example: "Who's available to help—team members with capacity, contractors you could hire, or tools that could automate?"
4. Ask the user about past delegation experiences—successes and failures.
   • Example: "Have you delegated before? What worked well, and what went wrong?"

2. Delegation Readiness Framework

Is This Task Delegatable?

YES, Delegate If:

• ✅ Repeatable with clear process
• ✅ Doesn't require your unique expertise
• ✅ Someone else can learn it
• ✅ Takes significant time you could use better
• ✅ Has clear success criteria
• ✅ Provides growth opportunity for delegatee

NO, Keep If:

• ❌ Requires your specific authority
• ❌ Strategic decisions only you can make
• ❌ Critical client/partner relationship management
• ❌ Core to your value-add
• ❌ Impossible to document/teach effectively
• ❌ One-time task (delegation overhead not worth it)

MAYBE, Consider:

• 🤔 Currently you-dependent but shouldn't be (document and transition)
• 🤔 High-value but could train someone (worth investment)
• 🤔 Partial delegation possible (you guide, they execute)

3. Effective Delegation Process

Step 1: Select Right Task

Best Delegation Candidates:

• Takes you 2+ hours per week
• Clear, repeatable process
• Not requiring creative judgment
• Has quality control method

Prioritization:

1. High time investment + easy to teach = Delegate first
2. Medium time + medium complexity = Delegate second
3. Low time or high complexity = Keep or deprioritize

Step 2: Choose Right Person

Match Task to Person:

• Skill fit: Do they have or can learn required skills?
• Capacity: Do they have time to take this on?
• Interest: Does it align with their growth goals?
• Readiness: Are they capable of this level of responsibility?

Development Opportunity:

• Stretch assignment (slightly beyond current level)
• Builds skills and confidence
• Invests in team growth

Step 3: Prepare for Handoff

Document the Process:

• Step-by-step instructions
• Screenshots or video walkthrough
• Common pitfalls and how to avoid
• Quality standards and examples
• Resources and tools needed

Clarify Expectations:

• What done looks like
• Quality standards
• Timeline and deadlines
• How much autonomy vs. when to check in
• Decision authority (can they decide or must ask?)

Step 4: Transfer Ownership

Delegation Conversation:

"I'd like to delegate [task] to you. Here's why I think you'd be great for this:
- [Skill alignment]
- [Growth opportunity]

The task involves [brief description]. It currently takes [time], happens [frequency].

I'll train you and support initially, then it's yours to own. Interested?"

Training Approach:

• Show: Do it once while they observe
• Guide: They do it while you coach
• Review: They do it independently, you review first few times
• Release: They own it, you check in periodically

Step 5: Support & Monitor

Initial Support:

• Available for questions
• Review first 2-3 completions
• Provide feedback (what went well, what to adjust)
• Encourage them

Avoiding Micromanagement:

• Trust their process (may differ from yours)
• Focus on outcomes, not exact methods
• Allow mistakes as learning opportunities
• Resist urge to take back

Check-In Schedule:

• Week 1-2: Daily or after each completion
• Week 3-4: 2-3x per week
• Month 2: Weekly
• Month 3+: As needed or they request

Step 6: Fully Release

Signs They're Ready:

• Consistent quality
• No longer asking basic questions
• Proactive problem-solving
• Faster execution than initial

Your Role Shifts:

• From doer to reviewer
• From trainer to advisor
• From involved to informed
• Time freed for higher-value work

4. Common Delegation Mistakes

Mistake 1: Dump & Run

• Delegating without context or training
• Fix: Proper handoff with documentation and support

Mistake 2: Micromanaging

• Hovering over every detail
• Fix: Define outcomes, trust process, step back

Mistake 3: Delegating Only Crappy Tasks

• Keeping good work, giving away grunt work
• Fix: Delegate meaningful work that develops skills

Mistake 4: No Follow-Up

• Assuming it's handled without checking
• Fix: Schedule check-ins until proven reliable

Mistake 5: Taking It Back Too Quickly

• First mistake and you reclaim
• Fix: Expect learning curve, coach through errors

Mistake 6: Unclear Expectations

• Vague instructions lead to wrong outcomes
• Fix: Specific criteria, examples, checkpoints

Mistake 7: Wrong Person

• Delegating to someone without skills or capacity
• Fix: Match task to person's strengths and availability

5. Delegation Communication Scripts

Initial Delegation Offer:

"[Name], I'd like to discuss delegating [task] to you.

Currently, this involves [brief description] and happens [frequency]. It's important because [impact/value].

I think you'd excel at this because [specific reason: skills, interest, development opportunity].

We'd start with training—I'll walk you through it, you'd try it with my guidance, then you'd take ownership.

Thoughts? Any questions?"

Setting Expectations:

"Let me clarify expectations for [task]:

**What**: [Specific deliverable]
**When**: [Deadline/frequency]
**Quality**: [Standards, here's a good example]
**Autonomy**: [Level of independence vs. check-ins]
**Support**: [How I'll help, when to ask questions]
**Success**: [How we'll know you're doing well]

Make sense?"

Providing Feedback:

"I reviewed [task] you completed. Here's my feedback:

**What went well**:
- [Specific positive]
- [Specific positive]

**Area to improve**:
- [Specific, actionable feedback]

**Next time, try**: [Suggestion]

Overall, [encouraging statement]. Keep it up!"

Stepping Back:

"You've been handling [task] really well—I'm confident you've got this.

Going forward, you own it. I'll check in [frequency] unless you need me sooner.

You have the authority to [decisions they can make] without asking me first.

Sound good?"

6. Delegation Dashboard

What You're Delegating:

| Task | Delegated To | Status | Training Stage | Check-In Frequency | Ownership % | | -------------- | ------------ | ----------- | -------------- | ------------------ | ----------- | | Weekly reports | Sarah | In Progress | Guide | Weekly | 70% | | Social media | Alex | Complete | Released | Monthly | 95% | | Invoice prep | Jamie | Starting | Show | Daily | 10% |

Status Definitions:

• Starting: Just delegated, in training
• In Progress: They're doing it, still learning
• Complete: Fully transitioned, they own it
• Blocked: Issue preventing progress

Training Stages:

• Show: You do, they watch
• Guide: They do, you coach
• Review: They do, you review after
• Released: They own, minimal oversight

Ownership %:

• 0-25%: You're still heavily involved
• 26-50%: Shared ownership, active support
• 51-75%: They lead, you check in
• 76-100%: Fully theirs, you're informed only

7. Time Liberation Tracking

Before Delegation:

• Hours/week on delegatable tasks: [X hours]
• Time available for high-value work: [Y hours]

After Delegation:

• Hours/week freed up: [X hours]
• Now available for: [Strategic work, new projects, rest]
• ROI of delegation: [Value created with freed time vs. delegation effort]

Track Over 90 Days:

• Week 1: Training investment heavy (you spend MORE time initially)
• Week 4: Approaching time-neutral
• Week 8: Time savings starting
• Week 12+: Full time savings realized

Cumulative Time Saved:

• Month 1: -5 hours (invested in training)
• Month 2: +5 hours (break-even)
• Month 3: +20 hours (full savings)
• Month 4+: +20 hours every month ongoing

8. Deliverables

Delegation Candidate List:

• Tasks ranked by delegation potential
• Time savings if delegated
• Complexity/ease of transfer
• Recommended delegatee

Delegation Workflow:

• Step-by-step delegation process
• Timeline from start to full ownership
• Checkpoints and milestones
• Support requirements

Training Materials:

• SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures)
• Video walkthroughs
• Checklists and templates
• Quality examples

Communication Templates:

• Delegation offer script
• Expectation-setting framework
• Feedback templates
• Ownership transfer confirmation

Monitoring Dashboard:

• Active delegations with status
• Training stage tracking
• Check-in schedule
• Time savings calculation

Success Metrics:

• Tasks successfully delegated: [#]
• Hours freed per week: [X]
• Team member development: [Skills gained]
• Your capacity for strategic work: [Increased %]

Present comprehensive delegation framework with task selection, effective handoff process, training methods, communication scripts, and monitoring systems to successfully transfer ownership and free capacity for higher-value activities.