Delegate it. Or not.
You either do everything yourself, or you step aside and let your team work. I’ve seen workable models somewhere in between, but those are more the exception than the rule.
There are three ways to hand over tasks and processes:
1️⃣ Delegation
Delegation works only when the process is already clear. You need to know how exactly the task should be done, what results are expected, and why. Ideally, you should have experience with it yourself, and all steps should be documented.
Think of it like giving someone an IKEA box: it has all the parts, tools, and step-by-step instructions up to the picture of the final product.
At the start, align on the approach. Along the way, check once or twice to make sure you’re building a wardrobe - not a table. Leave room for questions, but ultimately, responsibility lies with your colleague. If they assemble the wrong thing, that’s on them.
But if you don’t know the process yourself, you can’t properly delegate. That’s when another option is needed.
2️⃣ Ownership transfer
If delegation isn’t possible, make someone the owner of the product or project. Here, your job is to align at the start: What exactly are we trying to achieve? Does everyone share the same vision of the outcome? Then you step back.
This is more like giving a pile of wood, nails, and some money, and saying what you want built. It might be a wardrobe, or just general storage space, or something decorative. But your expectations need to be clearly explained, confirmed with the employee, and then handed over. What comes out - and how it gets done - is now up to them. Your role is simply to check in occasionally and make sure expectations are still aligned.
3️⃣ Staying in charge
You don’t have to do everything yourself, but you remain the main driver. You bring in colleagues and experts to take on small parts, but you are still the one responsible for the entire outcome.
This looks like getting a cart of logs, calling the sawmill to process them, finding someone to transport the wood back, sourcing nails online, hiring someone to hammer them in - and then polishing the result yourself.
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🙇♂️ Each approach has its challenges:
Delegation requires a well-built process, and even then, things can go wrong. Then you either spend energy fixing it or accept the executor’s version.
Ownership transfer requires total clarity on goals, knowing what you’re willing to compromise on, and deep trust that the result may differ from your vision.
Staying in charge means constantly balancing between doing and organizing - and managing the time cost.
What rarely works is “half handover” or constant micromanagement - hovering over people’s shoulders. That only kills trust and efficiency. Don’t do that.
