Balancing Workload Through Smart Project Delegation

I used to think I could do it all. But in large-scale event planning, that's a recipe for disaster. When you're managing multiple moving parts, you need to delegate the right things to the right people. And that means you need a team you can trust. So here's how to build a strong team and delegate effectively: 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲: Identify key roles and responsibilities Create a clear organizational structure Establish deadlines and milestones 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬: Assess team members' strengths and weaknesses Assign tasks that align with individual skills Provide opportunities for growth and learning 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Schedule regular check-ins and progress updates Use project management tools for transparency Establish open channels for questions and feedback 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤: Resist the urge to micromanage Allow team members to own their responsibilities Focus on overall coordination and strategy Delegation isn't about passing off work. It's about leveraging collective expertise. In the end, a well-delegated event runs smoothly and delivers better results. #eventagency #events #eventsagency

I went from working 80-hour weeks to reclaiming 30+ hours by following one simple thing. The 4D Model. Do: What only you can handle Delegate: What others can manage Defer: What can wait Drop: What doesn't matter Here’s how it works.. DO: These are the tasks that directly impact growth — key investor meetings, critical team decisions, and strategic planning. If you're not working on moving the needle forward, you're working on the wrong things. DELEGATE: Inbox management, scheduling, research, follow-ups are essential tasks, but they shouldn't be eating up your day. Someone else can handle these just as well (or better) than you. DEFER: Not everything needs your attention right now. Those "nice to have" projects, non-urgent meetings, and future planning sessions can wait. Focus on what's burning. DROP: Be ruthless here. Minor check-ins, tasks with no clear ROI, and "just to update you" meetings kill productivity. Cut them out completely. Working on Pearl Talent, I learned that being a "good leader" doesn’t mean doing everything yourself. Protect your time and know exactly what deserves your attention and what doesn't. 💪 Take a hard look at your calendar this week. What can you do, delegate, delay, or drop?

"I'll delegate when I find good people." Translation: "I'll trust them after they prove themselves." Plot twist: They can't prove themselves until you trust them. Break the loop. Delegate to develop. Here's how: 1️⃣ What should you delegate? Everything. Not a joke. You need to design yourself completely out of your old job. Set your sights lower and you'll delegate WAY less than you should. But don't freak out: Responsibly delegating this way will take months. 2️⃣ Set Expectations w/ Your Boss The biggest wild card when delegating: Your boss.  Perfection isn't the target. Command is.  - Must-dos: handled  - Who you're stretching   - Mistakes you anticipate   - How you'll address Remember: You're actually managing your boss. 3️⃣ 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 you?   - Empower them to creatively do it better?  Remember: 5 people at 80% = 400%. 4️⃣ Triage Your Reality - If you have to hang onto something -> do it.  - If you feel guilty delegating a miserable task -> delete it.  - If you can't delegate them anything -> you have a bigger problem. 5️⃣ Delegate for Your Development  You must create space to grow. Start here:   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. 6️⃣ Delegate for Their Development Start with the stretch each employee needs to excel. Easiest 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. 7️⃣ Set Expectations w/ Your Team  Good delegation is more than assigning tasks:  - It's goal-oriented  - It's written down  - It's intentional When you assign "Whys" instead of "Whats", You get Results instead of "Buts". 8️⃣ Climb The Ladder Aim for the step that makes you uncomfortable:     - Steps over Tasks  - Processes over Steps  - Responsibilities over Processes  - Goals over Responsibilities   - Jobs over Goals  Each rung is higher leverage. 9️⃣ Don't Undo Good Work 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. - Your new job is to enable, motivate & assess, not step in. ✅ Remember: You're not just delegating tasks. - You're delegating goals. - You're delegating growth. - You're delegating greatness. The best time to start was months ago.  The next best time is today. 🔔 Follow Dave Kline for more posts like this. ♻️ And repost to help those leaders who need to delegate more.

Your calendar isn’t the problem. You are. Years ago, over dinner with Ben Chestnut, co-founder and former CEO of Intuit Mailchimp, I asked: "I feel like I could be doing more. How do you manage your time and stay so productive?" I expected a magic hack. A silver bullet. Instead, he said: "You don’t have a productivity problem. You have a people problem. Are you delegating? Do you have the right people to delegate to?" Boom. Game over. My entire view of leadership shifted in that moment. Until then, I thought my job at Wistia was to do more: keep my inbox at zero, squeeze every minute, put out every fire myself. But Ben was right. My problem wasn’t time. It was that I wasn’t giving enough ownership away. So I started fully delegating to my senior team. Here’s what happened: → Some thrived and scaled faster than I imagined. → Others struggled and failed quickly. → I learned more about my team in months than I had in years. I had more energy for the things only I could do to move the business forward. Others grew faster, took on more, and their expertise began to shape the company in ways I couldn’t have alone. That’s when it hit me: delegation isn’t just a way to keep your head above water. It’s the difference between running a business and scaling one. After more than a decade of practicing it, here’s how I think about delegation today: 1. The 80% Rule: If someone can do it 80% as well as you, delegate it. 2. Hold Strategy Close: Set clear goals so everyone’s aligned, then give them ownership: highly aligned, loosely coupled. 3. Expect Failures: Some projects and people will fail. Keep failures small, make them lessons, and weigh effort, risk, and learning before stepping in. 4. Feedback is Fuel: Delegation without feedback is bad. Give plenty, especially early. 5. Over-Communicate: As your business grows, repeat the strategy, values, and mission. Keep the big things steady, let the small things evolve. Thank you, Ben, for sparking the insight that changed how I lead. Give the right people absolute ownership and they won’t just free up your time. They’ll take your business where you could never go alone. Where are you holding on too tight, and what might happen if you let go?