10 Delegation Quotes to Help You Achieve More by Doing Less
Here are some of my favourite delegation quotes that will remind you to let go and trust others to deliver results that will bring you closer to your strategic goals.
As a Mindset and Productivity Coach for perfectionists, I know how difficult it can feel to delegate your workload without jumping in and micromanaging every second which is why I have compiled this list to help you stay motivated.
If these successful leaders and entrepreneurs can learn to let go and delegate to their team, so can you.
The key themes are around communicating clearly, empowering your team, trusting them to work effectively, delegating authority not just isolated tasks and prioritising what is important.
If that sounds like something you are interested in, read on!
“Delegation requires the willingness to pay for short-term failures in order to gain long-term competency.” – Dave Ramsey
You need to accept that effective delegation takes a little bit of time right at the start. Yes, it may be easier for you to do the task yourself because you know it well but in the long run, you may end up being a bottleneck for the team especially when your workload increases.
It gets 10x worse when you hold on to a task/responsibility longer than you need to and reach a point where you are burnt out and have no choice but to delegate it because then, you have to add training someone else to do the task on top of your workload.
Dave Ramsey, is a financial expert, author and host in the personal finance and business leadership world. His quote is a reminder for you to accept that the first few steps of delegation may feel a bit slower and/or clunky but it is worth it in the end.
In order to implement his advice, I recommend you go into delegation with a growth mindset. Accept that your team may make mistakes, things might go wrong, and your workload might actually increase while training everyone up but with each mistake, make an effort to learn from it and grow with your team.
It will pay off in the end.
“The best operators take action immediately on tasks. They don’t let anything sit on their desk. They are delegation and accountability machines. NOT ‘systems’ people. They get mountains of work done through leading others to think for themselves. Only dumb people need rules.” – Alex Hormozi
Alex Hormozi has stormed into the arena as one of the go-to people for business and sales advice. He has a no-nonsense approach and ensures all his advice is simple and easy to implement. I watch a lot of his videos and have read his books so I can truly say his advice works.
If you want to run a successful company or team, you need to accept that sitting around waiting for the perfect moment to work on a task is holding you back. You need to move quickly and swiftly when opportunities come your way so that you can capitalise on them.
That means delegating tasks and responsibilities and trusting your team to handle them correctly and by doing so, it allows you to move projects forward and focus on activities that only you can do.
Studies have shown that micromanaging your team by attempting to control everything has many negative effects from low team morale, lack of trust, reduced creativity and much more.
You need to empower your team.
“If you delegate and it does worse – you didn’t delegate responsibility, you abdicated it.” – Leila Hormozi
Leila Hormozi is Alex’s wife and even though she might not be as well known as him, she is a business expert in her own right: co-founder, CEO, podcaster and motivational speaker. I also listen to her podcast quite a lot, in fact, I listen to hers more than Alex’s because she focuses on business operations and gives practical advice on how to run teams effectively.
This quote highlights the importance of taking accountability for your role in delegating responsibilities and tasks. It’s easy to blame the person you delegated the task to when things go wrong but at the end of the day, it is your responsibility to make sure you’ve explained the processes, and systems and provided the necessary support to the delegatee so that they have been set up for success.
Communication is key!
You need to define what needs to be done, and how it needs to be done and explain what the desired outcome is.
Related Post: 5 Delegation Mistakes Every Perfectionist Manager Needs to Avoid
“If it’s a task that drains you, and someone else can do it, delegate. If it’s a toxic person that drains you, delete. Your energy is precious. And you only have so much energy every day to put toward making empowered decisions. Be tactical with how you spend it” – Mel Robbins
Energy management is so important when it comes to building an effective mindful productivity system. Mel Robbins highlights the power of identifying your energy givers and energy takers when it comes to making decisions and deciding what tasks/activities you should do and what ones you should delegate.
Your energy is a finite resource and so is your time.
Mel Robbins is a motivational speaker, author and life coach who is known for the book ‘The 5-second rule’ which gives practical advice on how to turn your life around and become the most productive and healthy version of yourself.
I recommend you review your to-do list and evaluate their importance, and priority and give them an energy score. Consider delegating the tasks that are important but energy-draining to a member of your team or virtual assistant.
“Deciding what not to do is as important as deciding what to do.” – Jessica Jackley
I’ve noticed that delegating is particularly hard for my perfectionist clients because everything feels important and urgent, which is why I always recommend we start by identifying their core values and strategic goals.
This helps the delegating process run a lot more smoothly because now we have a framework to work against.
Jessica Jackley is a co-founder of Kiva, a microlending social enterprise, designed to expand ‘financial access to help underserved communities thrive’.
Her quote really sums up the importance of knowing what tasks to let go of because they don’t align with your values, mission or strengths — it’s okay to delegate them to someone else so that you can focus on the things that bring the most amount of value.
Saying no to one thing means you are saying yes to something else and there is real power in that.
“Delegating work works, provided the one delegating works, too.” – Robert Half
Similar to Leila Hormozi’s quote, Robert Half reminds us that delegation doesn’t mean you just launch it over the fence and make it someone else’ problem.
You still need to be involved in the project as a point of support and also to maintain accountability for the end result. That means regular communication, clear feedback loops and empowering the team to take on the challenges that come their way without abandoning them.
Robert Half was a successful businessman and founder of one of the largest global staffing firms, Robert Half International.
Related Post: 5 Steps To Delegate As A Perfectionist And Prevent Burnout
“When you delegate tasks, you create followers. When you delegate authority, you create leaders.” – Craig Groeschel
Craig Groeschel, pastor, author and leadership coach, highlights the importance of delegating authority to your team rather than just giving them isolated tasks. When you give people authority over decision-making, you help them grow and become future leaders rather than unthinking followers.
A team full of leaders and empowered individuals is much more likely to help you bring your vision to fruition. When you have only followers and individuals who have grown accustomed to your micromanaging, you will end up doing more work and feeling frustrated in the long run.
I know letting go of control can feel especially hard if you’re struggling with perfectionism, but if you take the advice of the previous quotes and provide your team with the best resources and training possible you will create leaders who will champion your mission.
“Delegation is not a sign of weakness, but of strength.” – Steve Jobs
As we all know, Steve Jobs was one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world known for his visionary leadership style and co-founding Apple.
If you’re a perfectionist, you probably feel, deep down, that letting go of control and delegating your tasks to others is a sign of weakness and that it means you are not capable of handling your workload but I’m here to tell you (and Steve Jobs) that letting go is actually a sign of strength.
It takes real confidence and courage to trust your team and empower them to work with you on your vision.
When you delegate, it enables you to focus on high-impact, value-driven tasks that move the strategic goals forward. You won’t waste your time or energy on activities that someone else could be doing.
“If you hire people who are smarter than you, your job is to get out of their way and let them do what they do best.” – Richard Branson
Another well-known name in this list is Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group. This quote is all about being confident in your ability to choose the right people and trusting them to take the lead on projects.
Micromanaging, something that a lot of perfectionists struggle with, will result in your talented team members feeling stifled, stressed and ultimately looking for another job which will negatively impact your ability to achieve your strategic goals.
We don’t want that which is why you need to let go of control and give your team the space to grow and develop your ideas.
Related Post: You Don’t Have To Do It All On Your Own – It’s Okay To Delegate
“Don’t tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results.” – George S. Patton
You need to give your team clear goals and an idea about what success looks like so that you ensure they are working towards the same vision.
And then, once you are both on the same page, trust them to figure out the best way to achieve the desired goals. This is just another way of saying ‘delegate authority’ which is a key message throughout this list.
You need to empower your team to think critically and try creative solutions. They may even find a way of working that is better than what you would’ve done so it definitely worth a try.
George S. Patton was a famous American army general during World War II and was known for his leadership style.
So what delegation quotes stuck out to you today?
Were there any quotes about delegation that stood out to you from this list? I tried to include a few modern-day examples mixed in with well-known quotes about delegation for a good balance.
There are definitely some key themes in this list when it comes to delegating effectively.
- Trusting your team
- Delegating authority
- Being strategic with your time and energy
- Have a growth mindset when it comes to making mistakes
- Communicate clearly
Delegation doesn’t have to be a gruelling, draining last-resort decision to make when you’ve already burnt out and run out of capacity. Taking the time to learn how to effectively delegate and training your team will save you so much time and energy so that you don’t have to reach breaking point.
You can achieve your goals and empower others along the way through effective delegation.
Join the community of recovering perfectionists healing from hustle-culture
If you would like to receive productivity and self-development tips designed specifically for perfectionists PLUS exclusive coaching offers join my weekly newsletter ‘The Sunday Reset’.
Remember, you are the ONLY person you are going to be with for your whole entire life, so you might as well invest in yourself.
Investing in yourself can be in the form of coaching, courses, reading, journaling, practising self-care and many more things.
Related Posts
- 5 Delegation Mistakes Every Perfectionist Manager Needs to Avoid
- 5 Steps To Delegate As A Perfectionist And Prevent Burnout
- You Don’t Have To Do It All On Your Own – It’s Okay To Delegate
- Perfectionism vs High Standards — Are You Pushing Yourself Too Far?
- How To Handle Criticism As A Perfectionist – 9 Simple Ways
- Where Does Perfectionism Come From?
- 3 Types of Perfectionism – Which One Are You?