Dave Kline Profile picture
Dec 10, 2021 • 14 tweets • 4 min read • Read on X
I've trained 100's of managers.

The 60% who fail make one mistake:

They don't delegate

Here are 9 tactics to win more by doing less 🧵
1/ What should you delegate?

Everything. Not a joke.

You need to design yourself completely out of your old job.

Set your sights lower than that & you'll delegate WAY less than you should.

But don't freak out:

Responsibly delegating that much will take months.
2/ Set Expectations w/ Your Boss

The biggest wild card when delegating is not your team.

It's your boss.

You don't need to be perfect, you just need to show you're in control.
So let her in on your plan:

- That the must do's will be handled well

- That you'll be stretching & testing your team

- Exactly where you expect mistakes might happen

- How you plan to handle any breaks

Remember:

You're actually managing your boss.
3/ Set Expectations w/ Yourself

Your team will not do it your way.

So you have a choice:

- Waste a ton of time trying to make them?

- Harness their new perspective & enthusiasm to do it better?

Different, but better.

Remember: 5 people doing 80% as well as you did is 400%.
And be honest with yourself:

- If you have to hang onto something -> do it.

- If you feel guilty delegating a miserable task -> question it.

- If you can't delegate them anything -> you have a bigger problem.
4/ Delegate for Your Development

The only way you'll grow into a bigger role is space.

That's the carrot every time you find yourself saying "It's easier if I just do it myself this one time."
Your initial delegation prioritization:

1) Anything partially delegated -> Completion achieves clarity.

2) Where you add the least value -> Your grind is their growth.

3) The routine -> Ripe for a runbook or automation.
5/ Delegate for Their Development

Now focus on the stretch each employee needs to excel.

Easy place to start: ask them how they want to grow.

People usually know. And they'll feel agency over their own mastery.

Bonus: Challenge them to find & take that work.

Virtuous cycle.
6/ Set Expectations w/ Your Team

Good delegation is more than assigning tasks:

- It's goal-oriented
- It's written down
- It's intentional
7/ The Mechanics

You've already:

- Defined your goals
- Given the resources
- Aligned on success

Now, start climbing:

- Steps over Tasks
- Processes over Steps
- Responsibilities over Processes
- Goals over Responsibilities
- Jobs over Goals

Each rung is higher leverage.
8/ Watch out for:

Delegating & walking away
- You need to trust. But you also need to verify.
- Metrics & surveys are a good starting point.

Micromanaging
- That's your insecurity, not their effort.
- You new job is to enable, motivate & assess the various paths.
9/ Want to go deeper?

60% of new mangers fail in the 1st 18 months.

Why?

They don't get trained in the tactics they need to thrive.

Delegation is just one of the key skills we're going deep on in my upcoming New Manager Accelerator course.

Join us?
skillscouter.com/management-acc… Image
10/ Bonus: Radical Delegation

I would recommend getting the basics down before going here.

But if you need a picture of what's possible, this is an inspiring one.

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More from @dklineii

Feb 9
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Be there, especially when it's hard.

Set The Tone
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Make yours worth catching.

Do The Work
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Two words that bond better than any bonus.
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Layoffs rarely surprise.

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Jan 26
Unclear expectations cause 95% of problems at work. The manager is frustrated. The employee is confused. Everyone loses. Here's my simple playbook for managers and employees to get on the same page fast:
If you're the manager:

Setting expectations is your primary job.

If your team doesn't know what you expect, you're failing them. And despite great effort, chances are they're letting you down.

The vicious cycle of frustration builds.
If that's the case, there are only three causes:

1. You're not managing your boss well
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3. You're hoping people will read your mind
Read 12 tweets
Jan 25
I've trained 1400+ managers. They all struggle with delegation. The issue isn't assigning work. It's ensuring the work gets done well without micromanaging. Here's a simple 5-step system for helping your team succeed:
1. Create Clarity

Establish 5 parameters upfront:

• Outcome: What success looks like
• Quality: What signals done
• Method: Agree on how the work gets done
• Timeline: Set clear milestones and deadlines
• Risk: The boundaries for autonomy
2. Preview Your Approach

Calibrate oversight based on:
• How critical the work is
• Their confidence in the person

Then communicate the plan:
• "I'll check in at these specific points..."
• "Here's how I'll measure progress..."

No surprises = No micromanagement
Read 8 tweets
Nov 20, 2025
If I've learned one thing about leading teams the last 25 years, it's that you won't get anywhere without trust.

Here's how to build it (and keep it)🧵 Image
There are 4 types of trust.

Each one build upon the previous:
• Character Trust (integrity)
• Capability Trust (skills)
• Consistency Trust (reliability)
• Connection Trust (relatability)

Skip one and your foundation is shaky at best.
CHARACTER TRUST

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• Take radical ownership of mistakes
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Without integrity, nothing else matters.
Read 9 tweets
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Most managers have a fuzzy picture of their people.

They know job titles and recent projects. Maybe some surface-level preferences.

High-performing managers have high-fidelity pictures of every team member.

Here's how AI helps you build them:
THE PICTURE YOU NEED

A complete view includes:
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• Expectations (what success looks like)
• Development goals (where they're headed)
CAPABILITIES: What they can do

Feed AI:
• Performance reviews and peer feedback
• Project outcomes and deliverables
• Examples of their best work

Prompt: "Analyze these and identify their top 3 competencies and 2 growth areas."
Read 10 tweets

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