Delegating Technical Tasks to Engineers

80% of team leaders I talked to, considered going back to development at some point. Why is the job so hard? The scope of work is overwhelming. You need to: • Interview and hire • Train new employees • Perform code reviews • Deal with the day-to-day • Have 1:1s with your developers • Work with the PM on the roadmap • Create a long-term vision for the team • Handling alerts and production incidents • Write technical designs and lead new epics • And somehow still find time to write good code! If you want to survive as an Engineering Manager, your only option is to ask your team to take some of the load. It's just not possible to do it alone. Where most managers fail, is in the decision of WHAT to delegate. There are some things that ONLY YOU should do: • Make hiring decisions • Conduct performance reviews • Work with the PM on the team's vision • 1-on-1s and career planning for your people • Work with your peers to increase collaboration Everything else, your people can do: • Mentor a new hire • Perform code reviews • Deal with the day-to-day • Handle alerts and production incidents • Write technical designs and lead new epics The trick is to delegate 𝟵𝟱%, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝟭𝟬𝟬%. Delegation is not about throwing off responsibility to others. It’s about sharing it. In the end, remember that it's your team and your responsibility. P.S.: What's your best tip on sharing the load?

𝗟𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻—the one leadership skill that separates overwhelmed managers from inspiring leaders. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 (𝗹𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗵𝗶𝗺 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗲𝗹). Michael was a technical genius. His team relied on him for everything. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺: • He worked late nights fixing others’ mistakes.    • He micromanaged because no one could match his standards.    • And worst of all, he was overwhelmed and stuck. Then, one day, Michael’s colleague—less technically skilled but a master delegator—got promoted. 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗲𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘁. “How could they promote him over me?” he asked me in our coaching session. Why Experts Struggle to Delegate? 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗲𝗹 𝗳𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗽: • “If I want it done right, I have to do it myself.” • “Teaching others will take too much time.” • “No one else understands this as deeply as I do.” 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: Being a technical expert doesn’t make you a great leader—knowing how to empower others does. 𝟱 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 • 𝗣𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗧𝗮𝘀𝗸𝘀: Focus on what only you can do. Delegate the rest.    • 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻: Match tasks to team members’ strengths and growth areas.    • 𝗦𝗲𝘁 𝗖𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: Explain the ‘what’ and the ‘why’—let them figure out the ‘how.’    • 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿, 𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲: Give autonomy but stay available for support.    • 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗨𝗽 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆: Provide constructive feedback and celebrate progress. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲: What If Quality Suffers? 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵: • Treat mistakes as learning opportunities. • Use feedback to guide, not criticize. • Understand that delegation is an investment in your team’s growth. 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗰𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴, Michael mastered delegation by: Rewiring Beliefs: He shifted from “I need to control everything” to “I’m growing leaders.” Building Trust: He learned how to trust his team and let them own their work. Strategic Leadership: He focused on vision, not execution. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 Within six months, Michael’s team was thriving, his workload was lighter, and he finally got the promotion he had been chasing for years. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻 • Delegation isn’t just about offloading tasks. • It’s about building a team that can thrive without you. • If you want to grow as a leader, you need to let go. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗧𝘂𝗿𝗻 Struggling to delegate? Feeling overwhelmed? 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼: • Identify what’s holding you back. • Build trust in your team. • Delegate with strategy and confidence. 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘂𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹. 𝗣.𝗦. DM me for a free discovery call #peakimpactmentorship #leadership #growth  

𝗧𝗮𝘀𝗸-𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 (𝗧𝗥𝗠) is one of the simplest and most powerful management concepts I know. Coined by 𝗔𝗻𝗱𝘆 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲 in High Output Management (1983), it means: how skilled and ready someone is to perform 𝗮 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝘁𝗮𝘀𝗸.   When assessing a person’s TRM, it’s not just about technical skill or years of experience. You should also consider: 🐋 Acquaintance with the domain 🐋 Independence in leading complex tasks 🐋 Ability to handle uncertainty 🐋 Communication and collaboration skills 🐋 Personal attitude   And here’s the subtle part: 𝗧𝗥𝗠 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝘅𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲. It depends on the skill you’re evaluating. The same person can have different maturity levels for the same type of task in different domains: 👁️🗨️ An engineer might have very high TRM for solving a complex technical problem, but low TRM when collaborating independently with the product manager or communicating the task's status to stakeholders. 👁️🗨️ A senior, capable engineer who was just recruited to a new company has low TRM for any task that requires deep domain knowledge. 👁️🗨️ A senior engineer with high technical TRM often becomes low TRM on their first management task.   A good manager weighs all these factors and adapts their 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝘆𝗹𝗲 to the maturity level - for every task. 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗧𝗥𝗠 𝗮𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀: 🐋The more 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘅, 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲, 𝗼𝗿 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸𝘆 the task, the higher the TRM you need from the person taking it on. 🐋 When TRM is 𝗹𝗼𝘄, give clear instructions and provide close support along the way. Define milestones, check in often, and help them learn safely. 🐋When TRM is 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵, step back. Give context, not instructions. Let them own the decisions and the outcome — while still following up, just less frequently. The art of delegation lies in this balance — knowing when to guide and when to let go. Next time you delegate, ask yourself: 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗧𝗥𝗠 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝘀𝗸? #engineeringmanagement #delegation  

“I know I need to delegate more, but some things are too complex to hand off.” Sound familiar? This mindset keeps many founders stuck in the weeds instead of leading strategically. Let me share a practical framework I use with clients: The Delegation Staircase. It transforms overwhelming handoffs into manageable steps: Step 1: Let them shadow you • You do the task while they observe • Debrief afterward to share your thinking process • Build understanding through observation Step 2: They observe and explain • They watch you again • This time, they explain your rationale • They articulate why you made specific decisions, and you provide feedback Step 3: They do, you debrief • They perform the task • You review together • You provide feedback on what you might have done differently Step 4: They take ownership • They handle the task independently • Optional: You give final approval before delivery • Gradually remove the approval step based on competence The key? You don't have to jump straight to full delegation. Each step builds confidence - both yours and theirs. This approach has helped dozens of founders successfully delegate complex tasks, from board presentations to client strategies. What else has helped you delegate complex tasks? Or what other delegation challenges do you have? #StartupLeadership #Delegation #LeadershipDevelopment #ExecutiveCoaching

Imagine a project where everyone thrives. The key? Mastering effective delegation. Delegation is a powerful tool in project management, yet it's often overlooked or mishandled. When done effectively, it frees up your time, develops your team, and ensures that the right people are focused on the right tasks. Here’s how to delegate effectively and empower your team: 1/ Clarify Expectations and Responsibilities: → Clearly define what needs to be done and by whom. → Set clear goals, deadlines, and deliverables for the assigned task. → Ensure the team understands the scope, resources available, and the desired outcome. 2/ Match Tasks to Skillsets: → Delegate tasks that align with team members' strengths and expertise. → Consider personal growth opportunities for each team member. → Avoid overburdening people with tasks outside of their capabilities. 3/ Provide Support, Not Micromanagement: → Offer guidance but allow team members the space to complete tasks independently. → Be available for questions, but avoid hovering. → Encourage problem-solving and independent decision-making. 4/ Monitor and Adjust as Necessary: → Regularly check in to ensure progress. → Be ready to step in if additional support or adjustments are needed. → Provide constructive feedback along the way to keep things on track. By delegating tasks effectively, you ensure the success of your projects and foster trust, growth, and accountability within your team. What’s one delegation tip that’s worked for you in leading successful projects?

Delegation gone wrong! Here’s how it happened: I stepped back from coding to focus on strategy and business. Delegation felt like the natural next step. I assigned tasks to senior engineers, expecting them to deliver. But I didn’t share context. I assumed: They’d read my mind They'd understand the business They'd align with my vision. When the results didn’t match what I imagined, I got frustrated. And instead of fixing my approach, I micromanaged. I thought: They don’t get the business. I need to step in. It was a disaster*. Here’s what I learned early on: Delegation isn’t about: Handing off tasks. It’s about: Transferring understanding. → Explain the *business problem*, not just the technical solution. → Define success criteria clearly. What does “good” look like? → Give ownership of outcomes, not just outputs. → Review progress regularly, not just the final result. Delegation done right empowers your team. It connects their work to business goals. And when people understand the “WHY,” They deliver with creativity and ownership. Success as a CTO isn’t about writing more code. It’s about building systems where others thrive. Have you ever struggled with delegation? What’s your biggest takeaway from it? 🔔 Follow Sanjeev Thapa for tech & startups 🔄 Repost if delegation is hard