Managers who refuse to delegate aren’t just taking on Sisyphean tasks — they’re also harming their own leadership. A Gallup poll published in 2015 revealed that CEOs with strong delegation abilities submit more ambitious growth plans and show stronger growth rates. The kicker? Only 25% of polled leaders were good delegators. No similar studies have been conducted more recently, and while we’re optimistic these digits have climbed, delegation (or lack thereof) has remained a prevalent issue in corporate circles a decade later.

The culprits? Trust… Managers who have experienced poor work performance from their team in the past will doubt their competency in the future, but taking too much off your team’s plate may create a cycle of incompetence — giving your underlings less to do deprives them of experience they need to improve.

…time management… Not your team’s, yours. Many leaders will take on important or time-sensitive tasks to appease the schedule, which ties into the conviction that their work needs less revising — not unfounded, considering that many have a history of career success. But this belief overlooks the ROI of strengthening your team by spending time on assigning, explaining, helping, and critiquing their output.

…and a sense of purpose. As a team grows and a leader’s work becomes more managerial, many may feel that they are materially contributing less to their organization, losing the sense of self-worth they’ve attached to their work.

How to become a better delegator: Executive coach Jessica Wilen marks communication as the number one skill to develop. “Start by clearly defining the task, desired outcome, deadlines, and any specific resources needed,” she says, adding that incrementally giving your team members more difficult tasks helps build rapport.

Address your fears: What if you fiercely dislike the decisions being made by your newly autonomous team? What if you’re the one being held accountable for the team’s decisions? How do you avoid a fauxtonomy — when subordinates make decisions based on what they believe would best please their boss? The answer to all of these questions, according to the Harvard Business Review, is fostering a culture of experimentation. Failure should be met with constructive criticism; different approaches should be equally valued; successful employees should be spotlighted, even if it comes at the cost of your guidance going unrecognized.

Delegation isn’t a one-way street: Nobody understands how you can better delegate than your subordinates, and a distant boss can be just as discouraging as a micromanager. Building rapport with the team and encouraging feedback can create a culture of continuous improvement.

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