Why you should never delegate

What I learned from my ex-boss

“You should never delegate something you don’t know how to do “ — my ex-boss

A friend once told me he got in trouble with my ex-boss when she found out he had delegated work to someone else prior to thinking the project through. When my ex-boss found out, she said, “You should never delegate something you don’t know how to do.”

Back then, I thought this was a great leadership quote. I was inspired at how true this is, as this is the underpinning difference between a leader and a great leader, and ultimately how you will lead your team. In 2019, with a couple more jobs and much more lived experience, I see this quote differently.

“You should never delegate something you don’t know how to do” isn’t just about leadership to me now.

It’s also about aptitude.

It’s about whether you’re capable as a leader.

It’s about if you’ll be able to lead.

You can’t lead your troops through the trenches without knowing how to be a soldier.

You can’t win a chess game without know what all the potential plays are.

You can’t be a leader without knowing how to lead.

And you can’t lead without knowing what the steps are.

And you won’t know what the steps are without knowing how to do something.

Leadership is like a relay race, you’re the front-runner and your job is to pass on the baton, but before passing the baton, you have to make sure your team is right behind you so they’re able to successfully continue on, and ensuring that they’ll be able to meet you at the finish line without dropping the stick.

Thus, you shouldn’t delegate something that you don’t know how to do, because as a leader it is your job to lead, and while you’re delegating the task, you still need to have a good grasp on what’s going on and if the direction it is going in is correct, so it’s your job to figure out how to do it, BEFORE passing it on.