As a founder you're a person tasked with wearing many hats, it's the nature of the role. From mapping out your business’s long-term vision to handling everyday operations, it’s easy to fall into the trap of doing everything yourself, especially in the beginning. After all, no one knows your business as intimately as you do. But as your startup grows, the sheer volume of tasks can overwhelm even the most capable founders, leading to burnout and inefficiency.
This is where delegation comes into play. Striking the right balance between delegating and doing it yourself (DIY) is a vital skill for founders who want to maximise productivity, scale their businesses, and stay sane which is a welcome benefit. In this blog, we’ll explore the art of balancing delegation and DIY, exploring its importance, strategies for effective delegation, and how to decide when to roll up your sleeves or pass the baton.
Why Founders Struggle with Delegation
Delegation often feels counterintuitive to founders for several reasons. Here are four we often come across:
Perfectionism: By nature as a founder you're deeply invested in your startups, making it hard to trust others to meet your high standards.
Control: Letting go of control can be challenging when you’ve been the one steering the ship since day one.
Cost concerns: Startups often operate on tight budgets, and hiring or outsourcing might seem like an unnecessary expense.
Speed: Teaching someone else to do a task might feel slower than doing it yourself in the short term unless you already have tightly documented SOP's.
While these concerns are valid, refusing to delegate can stifle growth and innovation. You need to be focussing energy on high-impact activities rather than getting bogged down by the tiny details.
The Case for DIY: When Doing It Yourself Makes Sense
Not every task should be delegated. In fact, there are several scenarios where handling a task yourself is not only acceptable but necessary. The first is your startups core vision and strategy. Your role as founder is to shape the company's vision and direction. No one else can fully replicate your passion and understanding of your business's mission. It might feel like they can but the driving force will be deep rooted in you.
There are several high-stakes decisions you make on a monthly, weekly and daily basis which in turn affects the entire company. These include decisions relating to funding, forming partnerships, or pivoting the business model which is a key skill to have in reserve any startup. Building your brand is another one. As a founder you play a pivotal, hands-on role in defining the brand and voice of your company. You can hire ghost writers to help with your tone of voice but ultimately your input will be the guiding light for what is shared with your audience.
Another necessary time when tasks need to stay on your plate is when they suit your own unique expertise. Every founder brings a unique set of skills to the company, often the reason the company exists and if tasks fall within this zone of genius - an area where your skills are unparalleled, taking them on yourself makes complete sense.
A tip we can offer here is to use your DIY time strategically. Focus on tasks that have long-term impacts, like shaping company culture or forging strategic relationships, rather than getting caught up in day-to-day operations.
The Case for Delegation: Why You Can’t Do It All
Delegation is more than just offloading tasks. It’s about freeing yourself to focus on what matters most while offering others the chance to contribute meaningfully. One benefit you'll notice is your ability to manage your time more efficiently. Delegating repetitive or administrative tasks gives you more bandwidth for strategic thinking. Having the ability to message your "right hand" and assign them a task to handle is also far more scalable than constantly adding to your backlog of work. As you build up your team, you start defining more systems and processes and the scalability increases.
As we touched on previously, you have your own zone of genius, the unique set of skills you bring to the operation. When you delegate tasks to others you're tapping into their unique skillset and accessing their own perspectives which you may never have considered, it becomes a second super power, bonus points if you have the trust in them to run with their intuition and find a better outcome, if there is one.
The final point we want to cover is burnout. When you feel like you have the weight of the company on your shoulders, you're heading straight for mental exhaustion and health problems unless you find ways to manage it. Delegation is a key component of avoiding burnout as you can mentally part-ways with duties you know are being safely handled by someone else.
A Simple Framework For Deciding What to Delegate
Not sure what to delegate? Use the Eisenhower Matrix, a task management tool which helps you categorise and organise tasks based on priority and importance.
With one million and one tasks founders get thrown into, The Eisenhower Matrix is a
valuable tool in every productivity kit. If you have a list of 50 tasks and you don’t have
priorities of them, you may crack on with something which doesn’t even need
completing. You may find one task completely cancels out 5 others. The main use case
of this tool is to work out where you should be focusing your time to be your most
effective, and either delegate or ditch the rest. It works like a charm for those who get
overwhelmed easily into analysis paralysis.
Urgent & Important: Do it yourself.
Important, Not Urgent: Plan for later or delegate.
Urgent, Not Important: Delegate.
Not Urgent & Not Important: Eliminate.
How to implement it
1.List your tasks.
2.Draw a diagram with four quadrants and categorise each task into one of the four quadrants.
3.Focus on tasks that are both urgent and important
How to Delegate Effectively
Delegation isn’t about dumping tasks on others; it’s about clear communication, trust, and follow-up. Here are five steps to delegate like a pro:
1. Choose the right person
Match the task with someone who has the necessary skills and capacity. For example, assign a graphic design project to a designer rather than your admin assistant.
2. Communicate clearly
Explain the task, its purpose, deadlines, and desired outcomes. Ambiguity leads to confusion and errors.
3. Provide resources
Give your team access to the tools, information, and authority they need to complete the task effectively.
4. Lead, don’t micromanage
Trust your team to handle the task. Resist the urge to hover or redo their work unless absolutely necessary.
5. Review and give feedback
Check the results and provide constructive feedback to refine processes and build trust.
We always encourage the use of project management tools like Asana, Monday.com, or ClickUp to keep track of delegated tasks and ensure accountability.
Overcoming Delegation Anxiety
If you find delegation challenging, you’re not alone. A lot of the founders we work with are just starting out on their delegation journey, and it's a learning curve for everyone. Start small by delegating low-risk tasks and gradually increase the scope as you build trust with your team.
Here are a few mindset shifts to ease delegation anxiety:
Think long-term: Teaching someone now saves you time in the future. If you manage to build SOP's (Standard Operating Procedures) new team members will be able to easily take over.
Focus on strengths: Delegation allows you to play to your strengths while leveraging the strengths of others.
Accept imperfection: Tasks don’t have to be done exactly as you would do them, as long as they meet the desired outcome.
Building a Delegation Culture in Your Startup
Delegation isn’t just a tool for founders—it’s a skill that can boost the performance of your entire team. To create a culture of delegation, start by leading by example. When you demonstrate that delegation is a strength, not a weakness, your team is more likely to follow suit. Show them how trusting others with responsibilities can lead to better outcomes and greater focus on priorities. Encourage ownership by allowing team members to take responsibility for tasks and projects, making them feel invested in their success. When people feel trusted, they’re more motivated to deliver quality work.
Tools and Resources for Better Delegation
Technology can make delegation seamless and efficient and with a positively booming world of technology we now live in, here are a few tools to consider:
Communication: Slack, Microsoft Teams, Kumospace
Project Management: Asana, Trello, Monday.com
Time Tracking: Toggl, Clockify
File Sharing: Google Drive, Dropbox
Automation: Zapier, Make (formerly Integromat)
The Founder Who Found Balance
Consider Jon, a startup founder client of ours who was juggling product development, project management, and customer support. He realised his days were filled with tasks that drained his energy and left little room for strategic planning. He was stuck in a loop and after 4 years had hit a ceiling.
After reviewing his options, Jon identified that customer support and project management was consuming most of his time. He hired a virtual assistant to handle his customer helpdesk and manage his company projects. This freed up 20 hours a week, allowing Jon to focus on refining his product and pitching to investors.
The result? A more balanced workload, increased productivity, and significant business growth.
Achieving Balance as a Founder
Delegation vs. DIY isn’t an either/or decision, it’s about finding a balance that works for you and your business. By focusing on high-impact tasks, trusting your team, and leveraging tools, you can create a sustainable workflow that promotes growth without sacrificing your well-being.
Remember, delegation isn’t about giving up control; it’s about multiplying your impact. So take a step back, assess your workload, and start delegating smarter, not harder.
What’s one task you can delegate today? The answer could be the key to unlocking your next big breakthrough.
Get in touch today to discuss achieving your balance.