Imagine trying to run a relay race all by yourself. That wouldn’t work too well. It’s a team event, which means everyone gets to carry the baton and share the responsibility. Even the team leader understands the importance of ensuring everyone plays their part. A relay race without delegation is simply a losing race.

The principle is no less important in the world of leadership. Although most leaders understand the benefits of delegation, it can still be a very difficult task to truly perform. 

“The inability to delegate is one of the biggest problems I see with managers at all levels.” Eli Broad

Nine Reasons Leaders Don’t Delegate

1. Not Enough Time

It’s ironic, but true. The very thing we don’t have time to do is what will eventually give us more time. Getting started is often the hardest part. When will we find the time to recruit, train & keep track of what others are doing? Leaders must prioritize delegation at the front-end, knowing it will take extra time so they can benefit from having more time to do what they do best later on.

2. Losing Control

When we invest a lot of time, energy & passion into a project, it can be real hard to let go. Delegation requires calculated risk-taking. It means we won’t be holding the steering wheel anymore, which also means we won’t be able to control how things are done. When we give into this fear, what we’re really saying is that nobody can do it better than us – which probably isn’t really true. Giving up control is a basic ingredient of leadership. If we can’t do it, we’re not leading.

3. Not Getting Credit

Everyone enjoys basking in well-earned praise every once in a while. In fact, for some individuals praise is what motivates and keeps them going. However, being willing to let go of the credit is a mark of a great leader. It reveals humility, a team mentality and represents a servant-leader model of leading. When we stop releasing others to lead, manage or ‘do’ because we crave that pack on the back, then what we’re really saying is we are more important than the potential team we have sitting around us. 

4. Losing Tasks I Love

This is a more complicated excuse for not delegating. On the one hand, it is sometimes self-centered for leaders to keep the tasks they love for themselves. However, leaders often have to give up so they, and the team, can go up. Just because someone is a really great sales representative, or assistant pastor, or secretary doesn’t mean they are called to lead the team, run the ministry or take charge of the department. 

5. I Can Do It Better

At the beginning, this is almost always true. It’s also probably the number one reason why leaders don’t delegate. Here’s a general rule of thumb: if someone else can do the job at least 75% as well as you, it’s probably worth releasing it to them. Here’s the key: as long as we’re committed to equipping and training them, this can work. Over the years I’ve watched a lot of great people rise far above their leaders, but they rarely started that way. It didn’t happen until those leaders took the risk and let them struggle and fail through the learning curve.

6. Delegated Out of a Job

Every once in a while, leaders might be genuinely worried that, if they give away their responsibilities, maybe they will find themselves out of a job. First, maybe that’s true. If so, then I can perhaps it’s for the best. If others can do what you’re doing better, then you honor them and serve the organization by allowing them to! Second, and this is more likely to be true, if we can successfully delegate tasks and leadership to others, we are proving our value to our leaders. Great organizational leaders will see delegators as leaders they never want to lose. 

7. I Don’t Trust Others

It’s a fact of life. Sometimes others are not trustworthy. When leaders delegate, it is important that they do so to the RIGHT people. That said, often our mistrust of others can end up crippling our leadership. We can end up ‘throwing the baby out with the bathwater’ if we’re not careful. Leaders must take calculated risks. 

8. Saying ‘No’ For Them

In my many years of leadership I’ve heard more reasons why people CAN’T do things than I have ever heard how they can. The funny thing is, it’s not the actual person who gives all these reasons, it’s their would-be delegator. It is so easy for us to sit around and tell ourselves, “They’re too busy.” or “They’ve been going through a hard time.” or “They are already involved somewhere else.” When we do that, we are stripping those people from the very opportunities they may unknowingly be waiting for. Don’t say no for others, let them that for themselves!

9. I Don’t Know How

It can be hard to recruit and delegate others. Leaders tend to assume that they should know how to recruit others to join the team. That’s presumptuous. Businesses spend millions of dollars every year training and paying for professional communicators to promote and recruit people to their causes. It’s OK if you feel inadequate delegating. It’s NOT OK to never try.

What are more reasons why leaders fail to delegate?