Leadership

Know Before You Delegate

Delegation fails when you assign tasks you don’t understand. If you wouldn’t know how to do it, don’t expect others to succeed blindly.

When facing an unfamiliar problem, you have at least two paths:

• Learn first: Research and figure out the solution, or at least approach to solution yourself.
• Delegate exploration: Define a research spike with strict time limits and clear objectives.

For complex tasks, break them down into smaller, manageable sub-tasks. Clarity and structure are non-negotiable.

Evaluate People by Value

Organizations often overemphasize technical proficiency as the primary measure of individual worth. This is flawed. Technical skills can be skewed by access to training, self-promotion, or presentation style and rarely reflect actual outcomes.

True value comes from delivery and support—meeting commitments, maintaining stability, and enabling cohesion. Technical expertise is a tool, not an end goal. Prioritizing optics or niche skills over execution creates fragility; value must rest on outcomes, not perception.

To evaluate real contribution, consider the impact if the person were to leave:

• How quickly could you replace and onboard someone with similar effectiveness?
• What delivery or operational gaps would appear?

The greater the disruption and recovery effort, the higher their true value to the organization.