"I'm the only one who can do it" means you built it wrong

“It’s faster if I just do it myself.”

Sure. If you’re the only one who ever needs to do it. But if admin tasks are tied to the highest-leverage person in the company, it doesn't scale.

It feels “leaderful” to manage policies, approve exceptions, or update payroll. That’s how power shows up for managers at big companies. But when founders take on those tasks, they lose sight of the strategic decisions that compound long-term.

Being "leaderful" delegates tasks to your future self. And it keeps the team dependent on your attention instead of your leadership.

It hides real problems like manual workflows, blindspots, and decisions made mainly on vibes.

And when no one else can touch those systems, the business can’t grow without risking a breakdown.

If you’re stumped about what your insurance plan covers or trying to figure out why the PEO won’t answer your goddamn question, it might be a sign that you’re the one asking the wrong questions.

You’re right not to want to delegate important tasks to someone who’s never done them before. 

But then again, if you’ve never done them before, are you the right person to handle them now?

Delegation isn’t about giving $10 tasks to a VA so you can spend your time on $10,000 tasks. It’s about recognizing where you’re bringing $10 insights to $10,000 decisions. It’s about knowing when to give that responsibility to an expert who’s designed systems that work when you’re not around to double-check.

That’s what lets you shift your focus to things that will grow the business. 

It’s what makes you less dependent on single points of failure. 

It’s what lets you take a vacation. 

It makes a company durable. 

And it's how you scale.

What tasks have you or your leaders been reluctant to delegate? And what good things happened when they finally did?

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