#336: 4 Steps to Delegate Effectively (and Simply)

336: 4 Steps to Delegate Effectively and Simply

Who is this episode for?

If you’re a law practice owner with at least one employee, or maybe you’re considering hiring your first but have been putting it off, this episode is for you. 

It’s also for partners or associates who work with assistants or other associates but aren’t currently delegating tasks—maybe because you’re afraid you won’t get quality work or it won’t be done fast enough.

You already know you can’t do it all, no matter how hard you try. So today, I’m sharing how to start delegating effectively, more confidently, you’ll learn how to do it in a way where you maintain quality control.

Each lawyer I work with starts with one goal: freedom.

Freedom to do more of what they want to do and less of what they don’t.

That requires learning how to create time.

That extra time not only allows you to do more of what you love — and less of what you don’t when you do this right — but also translates into increasing your revenue. And that means more freedom. 

Each skill you develop—including delegation—builds on the next, creating a compound effect in your practice. A compound effect that begins with learning the skill of making more time.

Delegation is one lever you have to help you create the time and financial abundance you want.

But I know a part of you thinks delegation is more hassle than it’s worth sometimes, right? Even those tasks you know should be delegate.

Maybe you’re thinking, “No one can do these tasks as well as I can.” 

And this keeps you stuck on the hamster wheel, spending hours each week doing work you shouldn’t be doing—work that keeps you from your zone of genius.

You’re might be telling yourself, “I’m the only one who can do things ‘right.’” Or maybe you’ve told your assistant how you want work completed multiple times, and it still isn’t getting done the way you want.

So how do you overcome these hurdles to growing your law practice? Let’s get into it.

Overcoming Fear of Delegation

First, let’s talk about the fear that holds you back from delegating. Lawyers often feel that if they don’t handle every detail, things will fall apart. It’s a mix of perfectionism and control, and I get it—you’ve built your reputation on getting things done right. But the truth is, trying to control everything is what keeps you stuck.

For example, one of my clients didn’t want to delegate client intake calls because she believed no one could connect with clients the way she could. After training her assistant, she realized the calls were being handled just as effectively—and she gained back hours each week.

Delegating effectively requires shifting your mindset from “only I can do this” to “I can train someone to do this just as well.” The key is to train your employees to think the way you do. 

This means stepping into leadership and guiding them to problem-solve like you would, empowering them to handle tasks independently. And yes, mistakes will happen. That’s part of the process. But over time, they’ll improve—and so will your confidence in delegating.

To get yourself to the next level, you must release the perfectionism and the fear that your employee won’t do the work as good as you will. You’re right. They won’t. But that’s not what’s required. You will be able to handle mistakes. Mistakes are part of the learning process. And when you delegate using this four step process, their work product will improve.

Let’s talk about the benefits of effective delegation. 

First, you’ll gain more time for strategic thinking. Instead of being bogged down in day-to-day tasks like sending out invoices or updating clients, you’ll have time to focus on business development, building new client relationships, and other high-level work that only you can do.

Second, when delegation is done right, your team feels trusted and valued. That leads to better morale and a more engaged team. Delegating effectively empowers employees to take ownership of their roles, and that pays dividends down long term in your practice that are hard to see when you’re making a snap decision about what to delegate. The more you delegate according to this 4 step process, the more responsibility employees will be able to take, and you’ll also weed out employees that don’t need to be in your practice.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, delegation helps you harmonize your work and your life. Once you’ve handed off tasks that drain your time and energy, you can step back and focus on the bigger picture—and take time for yourself.

One of my clients, after delegating routine administrative tasks, was able to take weekends off for the first time in years. And because her assistant had guidance, she felt empowered to take the initiative on other tasks that needed to get done. My client’s leadership allowed her practice to continue growing and she build confidence that she could grow her team with a new associate.

Now that we’ve addressed the fear, let’s move into the ‘how’ of delegation. 

Here Are 4 Steps to Delegate Effectively and Simply

Step one is identifying tasks you can delegate. 

It’s important that you identify these ahead of time, so that you make a plan to delegate them.

Ask yourself, “What does NOT require me?” At first you may want to hold onto everything. You’ll need to adjust this way of thinking. Start small and build competence in your employee and confidence in your ability to train and lead. Tasks like client follow-ups, scheduling, or even drafting documents can often be handled by someone else.

Step two: communicate clearly. 

Delegation doesn’t mean just giving a task at someone or even telling them how to do it. 

Effective delegation requires you to break down the task into clear, actionable steps. The more detailed you are in the beginning, the less confusion—and fewer follow-up questions—you’ll have later. Written instructions are best for repetitive tasks, so your employee can refer to the written instructions instead of asking you when they get stuck.

One of the biggest misunderstandings lawyers have is believing that just because their assistant worked for another attorney in the past that they’ll know how to handle your work. That’s simply not true. 

Assistants have doubts and fears just like anyone else, and they will need direction from you to help alleviate those doubts that they’re not doing things right and that they should be taking on tasks you haven’t yet explicitly delegated. This requires communication. 

Step 3: And this is crucial: don’t just delegate tasks, delegate authority. 

Give your team the autonomy to make decisions within their role. If you keep them tethered to you for every tiny decision, you’re still holding onto the control you need to let go of.

Your job is to teach your employees to think like you. That’s a lot of the work I do with lawyers who are building teams or training teams.

This is a methodical process because you need to understand how you think about problems and then how to articulate how to train them. It’s 1000% worth your time to do this because you’ll multiply your time back when you do it successfully.

And finally, Step 4: evaluate.

This comes back to communication. Delegating effectively doesn’t mean abdicating your responsibility to lead your team. It requires you to not only consistently communicate your needs, what they’re doing well, and what needs to improve, but also checking in on them as a human.

What’s their bandwidth to take on a new project?

How are they feeling about their performance?

Reviewing projects with them step-by-step to help them make necessary improvements.

This is most effective when done regularly in a weekly meeting.

This meeting not only helps their performance, but it helps them stay on track and helps you stay on track with your goals.

Building Confidence in Your Team

A crucial part of delegation is building confidence in your team. Your employees want to succeed. They want to prove that they can take on more responsibility and grow. When you give them that opportunity, they will rise to the occasion.

One of my clients had an assistant who wasn’t taking on responsibilities in her litigation practice that she wanted her to take on. What I discovered was that she wasn’t communicating what she wanted or making time to train her assistant properly. This explained why her assistant was making so many mistakes, taking longer than expected to get one task completed and not pro-actively looking for work. Her assistant didn’t feel confident she was doing her current job correctly, so she felt paralyzed.

Once my client addressed these issues, her assistant felt more confident and could take on more work and my client felt more at ease taking time away from the office knowing that her assistant was getting the work done.

It’s your job as a leader to create a culture of open communication and to invest in your team’s growth. The better you train them, the more you’ll feel comfortable delegating. As you step into your role as a leader, you’ll begin to see your team taking initiative and handling tasks you thought only you could do.

Conclusion

So, what are the key takeaways here? 

Delegation isn’t about giving up authority or responsibility—it’s about empowering your team to support you so you can focus on the work that keeps revenue coming in. By dropping perfectionism, delegating the right tasks, and stepping into leadership to train your team, you’ll free up time and grow your practice without the stress.

I encourage you to take one small step this week: delegate a task. 

Pick something that’s been sitting on your desk for too long and give it to someone on your team. Track how much time it saves and notice the difference in your workload.

If you’re listening to this, you’ve probably been putting yourself last on your to-do list for way too long. 

That voice inside you—the one dreaming of having your life back—is your higher self telling you it’s time for change. 

I know you’re exhausted, feeling like you don’t even have the energy to go after that dream life right now. But here’s the truth: waiting won’t magically bring you the time or the freedom you desire. 

Think about it. All those dreams of success, more revenue, more freedom—they’ll stay dreams if you don’t take action. If you keep putting it off, you’re only building momentum towards keeping the life you already have. 

The “right” time will never just appear. It’s up to us to seize opportunities.

We miss out on so much when we don’t take action.

I think about clients like Andrea who — if she had continued putting off working with me — would have missed out on an additional $65,000 in revenue in her practice with a tweak we made in her practice.

Or Nancy—if she hadn’t decided to take action, she wouldn’t have the podcast that’s now helping thousands of people make better decisions with their estates. 

Or Shannon, who wouldn’t be living her dream life, loving her practice, and spending more time with her family.

If you’re serious about having your life back, don’t wait. Book a strategy session with me today. 

Let’s work together to reclaim your freedom and create the practice, and the life, you’ve been dreaming of.