Framework
Delegation Ladder
Five levels of delegated authority — from following instructions to full ownership — so everyone knows how much decision-making power you are handing over.
Use this when work comes back worse than expected, when someone takes more or less initiative than you intended, or before any handoff where the decision rights are not obvious. Name the level out loud — it becomes shared language.
The five levels
Do as I say
Execute exactly as instructed. You have already researched the options and chosen the path.
Research and report
Gather information and bring it back. You discuss it together, then you make the call.
Research and recommend
Outline the options with pros and cons, then share your recommendation. You approve before they move forward.
Decide and inform
They make the decision and tell you what they did. You stay in the loop without approving every step.
Act independently
Full autonomy within agreed boundaries. No routine reporting — you trust them to follow through.
Most delegation failures are a level mismatch, not a people problem. Clarify the level on the way in — not after something goes wrong.
Start with a dependency map
Before choosing levels, find the targets. List everywhere the company still depends on a specific person — especially you: outcomes, decisions, relationships and recurring work that stall when that person is away. Not just tasks you dislike; anything that caps the company at the size of one calendar. That list is your delegation backlog.
Turn it into a timeline
Name the owner
For each item on the map: who will take this on — now or after a transition period? Be specific about the person or role.
Mark current and target level
Where are they on the ladder today for this item? Where should they be in 30, 60 or 90 days?
“Metrics review: Level 2 today → Level 4 by end of quarter.”
Define what has to be true to move up
Context they need, skills to build, decision rights to document, or standards to align on before you step back a rung.
“They shadow two vendor calls, then lead one with you in the room before Level 4.”
Set review dates
Put checkpoints on the calendar and revisit in a dedicated 1:1 — adjust the plan if reality differs. One deliberate handoff per month beats a heroic purge that collapses in week two.
Ask it every quarter: "What are you doing today that you shouldn't be doing at the end of the quarter?" Then aim the handoffs at people's growth edges — "my growth edge is people management" becomes "you lead the weekly product check-ins." And remember delegation is an investment: not faster tomorrow, faster in a month or two — delegate, don't abdicate.
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