Delegation for Leaders: How to Build Trust and Develop Your Team

Delegation can look like leadership while quietly turning into control. If you’ve ever handed something off and then felt the urge to step back in, rewrite it, or “just do it yourself,” you’re not alone and it’s costing you more than time. We dig into what delegation really means: transferring ownership, authority, and space so someone else can deliver an outcome, not just complete a task.

We bring in Ashley Herd, author of The Manager Method, to walk through her practical Pause Consider Act framework for stronger management and team performance. We talk about the moment you need to pause before you default to “I’ll handle it,” then the key things to consider that most leaders skip: does your team member truly understand the ask, have you heard their plan, and what else is already on their plate. From there, we get specific about what it means to act with clarity and follow-through, including how to check in without hovering and accidentally taking back trust.

You’ll also hear a real story from my early Air Force leadership days when I delegated poorly and learned the hard lesson that being involved in everything is not the same as building a capable team. We use the Big Blue Rock example to show why clear expectations matter, then close with coaching questions you can use immediately to identify what you’re holding on to, how you delegate today, and what signals your team is getting from you.

This episode draws on The Manager Method by Ashley Herd, focusing on delegation as a leadership behavior that builds trust, develops people, and strengthens team capacity.

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Transcript

Welcome And Commitment To Improve

TJ 0:00

Welcome to the Leadership Buzz with Lloyd Buzz Buzzell. Buzz is an international coaching federation, ACC credentialed coach, disc practitioner, and retired Air Force officer with 37 years of leadership experience. This podcast is for leaders who want to align behavior with values and grow in self-awareness. Each episode features one book, one idea, one story, and three coaching questions to reflect on your leadership. Work hard. Tell the truth. Here's Buzz. Let's roll.

Delegation As Leadership Discipline

Buzz 0:39

Before we get into today's conversation, I want to share something with you. I was up at 2 a.m. recently listening back to one of my episodes, and I realized I can be better. I've had some production and sound issues along the way, and I'm working on that. More importantly, I want this podcast to be something that truly serves you, where it feels like you're in the room with me, thinking, reflecting, and working through real leadership challenges. I'm committed to getting better for you and for the leaders who are taking the time to listen. Today we're going to talk about delegation and what it really looks like in practice, not just as a task, but as a leadership discipline. And we've also got a special guest joining us for this conversation. So with that, I'm going to hand it over to TJ to introduce today's book.

TJ 1:32

This week, we're looking at the manager method, a practical leadership system to build strong teams and drive results by Ashley Hurd, a newly published book focused on practical leadership and helping managers lead with confidence using a simple three-step framework. Pause, consider, and act, and we'll focus specifically on delegation as part of that approach and what it looks like in real leadership situations. Over to you, Buzz.

Buzz 2:00

This week on the Leadership Buzz, I'm highlighting the work of Ashley Hurd and her book, The Manager Method. What stood out to me is how practical and real her approach is. She focuses on helping managers actually practice leadership, not just talk about it. That matters because most managers are learning it real time in front of their teams without much guidance. If we're serious about building strong cultures, we've got to invest in that level of leadership where the work really happens. But let me let Ashley tell you more about the book and her approach.

Pause Consider Act For Delegation

Ashley Herd 2:34

Buzz, thank you for this episode on delegation and my book, The Manager Method. And thank you to everyone listening, whether you've picked up the book already or are interested in it for you or someone you know. The manager method is all about the pause consider act framework. And delegation is a perfect place to use it. The first is pause. And that means to actually do it, to delegate. Because one of the easiest things in the world is to say, I'll just handle this myself. And you can probably do it just the way you want and probably do it faster than anyone else, but that all adds up. And then your team never gets the chance to learn. The consider step includes three things that people often skip when delegating. First, does your team member actually understand what's being asked? Second, have you talked through how they're thinking about it and planning on actually doing it? And third is what else is already on their plate? Because if you're just adding something without talking about whether something else needs to move, you might be setting them up to fail. And then act. Have the conversation and then check in to show you're invested, but don't hover. Because the moment that you hover and you're always there, you've taken back the trust that you just handed them. I hope everyone loves this episode and checks out the manager method book in hardcover, digital, or audiobook.

Ownership Trust And No Hovering

Lessons From A Delegation Misstep

Self-Check Questions On Delegation

Buzz 4:02

When I think about delegation, I'm not talking about just handing off tasks to clear your plate. Delegation is transferring ownership. It's giving someone else the responsibility, the authority, and the space to deliver an outcome, not just complete an assignment. Done right, it's a signal of trust. You're saying, I believe you can do this and handle it. And then you can back that up by stepping out of the way while still being available. Delegation isn't about doing less as a leader, it's about developing others so the team can do more. I just really want to say some good things on Ashley's book. She does a great job of putting some reflection questions at the end of each chapter that I think you'll really enjoy. And she really talks about why delegation matters and holding on out of a sense of fear as you go about your job. And in each chapter, you'll find something that's really of value. And I would encourage you to pick up that book, whether it's an audio book or uh or hardcover. Um, I think I got both. I want to tell a story about when I did a poor job at delegation as a young leader, as a young officer in the Air Force. I held a position as a flight commander, and I had several people working for me, and I just felt like I needed to be leading each and every project instead of handing off those projects and then setting up a system so they could report back to me at an even keel. And I thought, well, if I'm a good leader, I'll be involved in everything. Well, you still can be involved in everything, but you need to delegate that. And I finally learned that when I saw a couple things falter that could have been done a lot better. And then I squeezed for time on a very important project that we were trying to get done. And then we got really busy because of an operation and an exercise and then an inspection. And I should have noticed and saw this ahead, but I kind of learned a really hard lesson that time as a flight commander stationed up in Alaska. I would ask you to think through your ideal moment of when you handed off a task and how that worked for you. And like what were the key parts of that that made that so well? I mean, I I can think of a dozen stories over my career where handed something off and it came back not exactly the way I wanted it, but it came back within the intent that I had passed on. And as usual, I'll keep repeating myself because that's what I do. But I relate the big blue rock story from a leader where the leader asks for a large rock, a big rock, they bring that rock to him, and he says, No, I want a large rock. So they bring a bigger rock back to him, a large rock. Then he says, No, I want a big blue rock, so they bring that back to him. So the theme of that is if you want a big blue, large rock, say that and give that information in the beginning and delegate that task out. And just think about it for a moment once you walk through it. Like, did you leave something out like the size of the rock or the color of the rock? Or did you develop that after you gave the assignment out and it came back and you're like, well, no, I didn't have time, the time and energy to be able to give all the details of what that assignment could be. So you need to give some thought to how you're issuing out those tasks. And are you clear? And if you were the one giving the tech getting the task, how would you want that relayed to you? And you know, when we talk about delegating and why we don't delegate, there's there's several instances of why we don't. When it's right, as I said before, it is a signal of trust. But there's sometimes that you can fear that you're gonna give over control of something to somebody else. As a leader, you don't give up that control. You still have that authority and control over the task and your your division, your assignment, your squadron, your unit. I really think that Ashley's book and for her delegation checklist that she has at the end, which is what she describes as a success sheet, has that really good system, which I think I could have had in my career, I could have used that, where you pause, consider, set clear expectations, then you provide the support, and then you manage across, which I'm going to talk about in a second, and you have to recognize their their effort. And we'll talk about kind of managing up and making sure that you're communicating up to your leadership. But let me just slow down for a second. When you think about delegation, what would you say that means to you right now? And as you think about your week or your month, describe one thing you're currently holding on to, someone else could take on. Just sit with that for a second. What is it? Now, what makes that hard so hard to let go? Is it standards, time, trust, something else? Kind of walk through that in your mind. Because most layers I work with don't struggle with knowing they should delegate. So let me ask you this. When you're delegating, how do you usually do it? How does that conversation feel and look? How do you describe what success looks like? How clear are you on the outcome? And how clear is that other person? Because there's this difference between saying, hey, take this on, and actually transferring ownership. And I'm I'm curious about this. If I asked the person or your team right now how clear they feel after you delegate something, what do you think they would say? Just be honest with yourself there. Now let's take it one step further. When you hand something off, what do you do next? Do you give them space or do you find yourself checking in, stepping back, maybe even taking part of it back? No judgment, that's just awareness. Because that moment right there after you delegate, that's where trust is either built or broken. So as you think about your team, describe what they are experiencing from you right now when it comes to that delegation. What signals are you sending? Are you telling them I trust you or are you just taking those actions to say something different? And how does that line up with the kind of leader you say you want to be? Now, if we shift it a little, what are you actually trying to achieve through the delegation? Are you just getting the task done? Or are you trying to develop equals? That's kind of two different methods there. If it's only about getting it done, you'll always be tempted to just take it back. But if it's about building people, you'll start to lead a little different. So here's what I challenge you. What's one thing, just one that you could delegate away this week? Not just handing it off, but truly giving ownership. And what would that look like for you on the outcome? And what might be possible for them? Take a second with that, because delegation isn't about doing less, it's about building more, more trust, more capability, and more leaders around you. So I I would just really encourage you to take a look and see what you have, uh, what delegation is working for you, and what isn't working for you. Because let's face it, we've all made those mistakes where we didn't give enough information, and then we had to step back in before we had the time to really evaluate what was going on. And you want to set some control systems up. You're gonna you're gonna set that trust in, but you know you just don't want to continually step back in and okay, hey, how is this going like every five minutes or an email follow-up, you know, every hour of the day, or a text? When you are able to step back from your role and really be able to give full attention to something, that's when that trust sets in. How is that gonna feel for you and how do you do it? Is it a natural rhythm for you, or is the struggle to kind of say, hey, I don't really want to give up on that. I want you to continually report on me. I mean, if you're always checking on everybody's homework every day, how are you gonna be developing them as a leader? Because you, as a leader, how do you want things delegated to you? The boss brings something to you, you want to be able to go out and try and get that done and achieve it. You really don't want your boss checking up on you every five minutes. So if you don't like that, it's probably a pretty sure thing. I mean, I I would ask you, probably a pretty good sure thing that you don't want that they don't want you checking on them. That seems fairly obvious. And I would just encourage again, I know I've said it a couple times, but Ashley's book, The Manager Method, which is a practical framework framework to lead support and get results, is just an excellent kind of overview of several topics in there that she puts aside and she's given that framework to kind of consider and work through. I think it's a great opportunity to stop and pause and take a look and see where you are delegating things. And if your team's frustrated by it, or maybe you're doing a great job at it, and you can kind of role model that for a person on your team to help them develop on how they delegate things. It's a great topic to discuss with your some of your people that are working with or for or even peers. And that's why reading books, and we're gonna there's an upcoming podcast that we're designing right now about leaders or readers, and about why I want to encourage people to read as much as possible because you can't experience all the actions over your lifetime. There's just not enough time. And so that's where books and education and feedback from others kind of plays into it and works really, really well. So as we wrap this up, I just want to bring you back to one simple idea. Delegation is not about getting work off your play, it's about building people, and that shift matters. Because if you're only focused on getting the task done, you'll keep holding on, stepping in and taking it back. But if we're focused on developing your team, you'll start to lead a little differently, and you'll be clear, you'll give ownership and you'll create space for people to grow. And I'll just tell you I didn't always do this right. I can give many stories on how I didn't. There were times in my leadership where I held on to too much, and I thought I was helping the mission instead of limiting my people. I could have released more. So maybe that's the question for today. What are you holding on to that you need to release?

TJ 14:19

Let's get to this week's three coaching questions for our listeners.

Buzz 14:22

For this week's three coaching questions, the first, describe the work you're holding on to right now. Tell me about one task or responsibility that someone on your team could take on. What makes that one hard for you to let go? What concerns or risks come to mind as you think about delegating it? And then, second, tell me about how you typically delegate. When you hand something off, how do you describe what success looks like? And how do you communicate expectations, boundaries, and ownership? Where do you think these might be gaps or assumptions that your team is having to fill in on their own? Then finally, as you think about your team, describe what they are experiencing from you right now when it comes to delegation. What signals are you sending about trust, ownership, and accountability in your words? How does that align with the kind of leader you say you want to be? And where might that be a gap?

TJ 15:19

This week we discussed the manager method by Ashley Hurd, built around a three-step framework. Pause, consider, act. It helps leaders create space before responding, think through options and team impact, and then move forward with clarity and follow-through. We connected it to real leadership moments like delegation, setting expectations, and staying engaged without taking the work back.

Buzz 15:47

Thanks for listening to the Leadership Buzz. If you found this episode helpful, please subscribe so you don't miss future conversations. And if you have a moment, leave a rating or review that helps other leaders discover the show. If these kinds of leadership questions resonate with you and you'd like to explore them more deeply, feel free to reach out to me. Coaching conversations often start exactly this way. Until next time, work hard, tell the truth.