When to Delegate (and When You’re Probably Avoiding It 🙃)

How to know it’s time to hand things off in your group practice — and what real leadership looks like when you do.

There comes a point in every practice owner’s journey where your color-coded Asana board, your 17 open Chrome tabs, and your “I’ll just do it myself” energy start to turn on you.

You know what I’m talking about — when everything technically works, but only because you’re working 12-hour days to hold it together. You’re juggling client care, staff supervision, billing hiccups, and all the behind-the-scenes chaos that no one told you came with being a group practice leader.

That, my friend, is usually your first sign it’s time to delegate.

Image via unsplash.

Delegation Isn’t Just Offloading — It’s Leadership

Many practice owners think of delegation as something you earn when you’re more organized or have more time. But it’s actually the opposite: delegation is what creates the time and structure you’ve been craving.

When you learn to delegate effectively — not just tasks, but decisions and responsibilities — you move from being the bottleneck of your practice to being the visionary leader it truly needs.

Here are some common signs and symptoms it might be time to delegate:

1. When You Catch Yourself Saying, “It’s faster if I just do it”

Classic 😅 (Raising my hand here too)

Sure, it’s faster today. But probably slower forever.

If you’ve repeated a process three times this week, that’s a bright, flashing sign it’s ready for a system — and probably ready for someone else to own it. Let’s help you bolster those SOPs so you can document it once, delegate it well, and never think about it again.

Already delegated it but still doing the job? That’s not working either, friend! It’s time for some realignment of roles & responsibilities.

2. When You’re Drowning in “Shoulds” Instead of Strategy

If your brain is full of “I should respond to that,” “I should fix the website,” or “I should run payroll,” you’re not leading — you’re surviving.

Delegation clears the noise so you can get back to strategic leadership: visioning, refining your services, and supporting your team in meaningful ways. The strategy of “everything’s in my head” may have worked when you were solo, but as you grow everything becomes more nuanced and complicated — that’s not going to work for long.

3. When You’re the Bottleneck

If your team is constantly waiting for your approval, a signature, or a password reset (that’s been sitting in your inbox longer than you’d like to admit), your systems aren’t broken — your delegation strategy is.

Empowering your team to make certain decisions builds confidence, accountability, and a smoother workflow, even when you’re not there. And isn’t that what you want for the dream team you’ve assembled? Give them the chance to step into their leadership skills (while also taking stuff off your own plate).

4. When You Feel Resentful AF

Real talk, business babe: resentment is often a signal of misplaced responsibility. Eeeeek!

If you’re starting to feel irritated every time another task lands on your plate, it’s not because you’re failing — it’s because you’re doing too damn much.

Delegation is a form of leadership self-care. It keeps you focused on the work that actually moves your practice forward. And work probably feels better when you feel less resentful!

The Emotional Side of Delegation

Delegation isn’t just a logistical skill. It’s emotional work. It asks you to release control, perfectionism, and the belief that “I’m the only one who can do it right.”

You’re always going to be the capable, detail-oriented leader, but leading differently is what allows your practice to thrive long-term.

Looking for a tangible check-list of what to delegate in your biz?

I got you. Check out my free Business Vitality Assessment for a practice pulse-check (and ideas on where you could delegate).

If your to-do list has started to look like a game of whack-a-mole, it’s time to delegate differently.

I can help you figure out what to hand off, who should handle it, and how to make it actually stick. Let’s get your systems (and sanity) in order, yeah?

Hey! I’m Charlie — Your Practice Partner.
I help human-centered group practices thrive. More about me.