Being the person with the most responsibility can be super stressful. Your calendar is always full. There are never enough hours in a day. That to-do list only ever gets longer. But there is a way out from under that crushing workload. Because you don’t have to do everything yourself.

It’s time to start delegating. 

Delegation is a critical leadership skill. But, like most business leaders, you’re probably not doing enough of it.

A study by London Business School found that only 30% of managers feel comfortable delegating. 

They worry that:

  • Someone else won’t do the job as well as they can
  • Doing it themselves is quicker
  • They can’t trust their employees
  • Someone else might do the job better and outshine them
  • Their team will struggle with the extra workload

Some of those reasons are more valid than others. And one or two are driven by pure ego. But it’s time to get past them all. Delegation is good for business. It puts resources to best use and allows leaders to focus on the areas of their company with the biggest growth potential.

“If you want to do a few small things right, do them yourself. If you want to do great things and make a big impact, learn to delegate.” – John C. Maxwell

So how do you start delegating?

The latest research from business financing expert OnDeck can help. Its researcher collected the 10 best pieces of delegating advice from some of the world’s most successful business leaders. 

Each tip also includes a how-to-guide on integrating these winning strategies into your management style. 

There’s advice from Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Jobs. They agree that delegating is about focusing on your most important task.

Jeff Bezos is a big fan of the hands-on approach. He finds the best person for the job and lets them get on with it.

And Bill Gates tells leaders to check those egos and acknowledge that their ideas won’t always be the best ideas.

There’s a real art to delegation. And these tips will help you master it.