Estimated Read Time: 3 minutes
Hi Reader,
I was on a call recently with a client who's been holding onto a process for over a year.
She knows it needs to be handed off. She wants to hand it off. But every time she thinks about it, the same thought surfaces: "I need to clean this up first. I need to document it properly. I need to get it to a point where I feel good about passing it on."
So it stays with her.
Quarter after quarter.
I've heard versions of this from almost every founder I work with. The task that's always almost ready to delegate. The process that just needs a little more refinement before someone else can own it. The thing that somehow never leaves your plate - not because you want to own it, but because there's never quite enough time to prepare it for handoff.
Here's what I've come to understand about why this happens:
Perfecting it yourself is exactly what's keeping you from delegating it.
Because you're the one doing it, there's never enough time to document it properly. And because it's never documented properly, it stays with you. It's a loop, and the way out isn't more time. It's a different approach to the handoff itself.
THE 80% REFRAME
10x Is Easier Than 2x reframed this for me. The authors argue that someone else doing a task at 80% of your standard isn't a failure - it's the point. Holding onto the other 20% so you can own the whole thing is what keeps you the bottleneck.
What I'd add, based on working with clients as a Fractional Chief of Staff: delegation doesn't have to be a binary choice. You don't have to hand off the whole thing. You can hand off 80% of it.
Here's what that looks like in practice:
- Someone else takes the first pass using the process as it currently exists, imperfect documentation and all.
- In doing that work, they often surface inefficiencies you couldn't see because you were too close to it.
- You come back to refine the final 20%: the nuance, the judgment calls, the things that genuinely need your expertise.
Over time, the process gets better. Your time opens up. And you didn't have to wait until everything was perfect to start.
This is what I'm working through with my client right now - building toward an 80% handoff on a process she's been holding entirely on her own. The goal isn't to remove her from it. It's to make sure her involvement is where it actually matters.
One client described what this shift felt like after we worked together:
"Moriah took the scattered thoughts in my brain and built the foundation for how I now work with my VA, which has changed how I operate day to day. Things feel cleaner now. There's more direction behind what I'm doing." — Joseph Cope, National Keynote Speaker & Workshop Facilitator
That's what happens when the handoff is built properly. Not just tasks moved off your plate - a new way of operating that actually sticks.
👀 THE DELEGATION AUDIT
Take 5 minutes and answer these four questions:
- What's one process or task you've been "almost ready" to delegate for more than one quarter?
- What's the specific reason it's still with you - is it undocumented, too nuanced, or something else?
- What would an 80% handoff actually look like - which parts could someone else own, and which parts would you keep?
- What's one action you could take this week to start the handoff - even if it's just drafting a rough process doc or briefing someone on the first step?
Write it down. The act of answering the last question often reveals that the handoff is more possible than you thought.
Reply and tell me what you're going to do. I'd love to hear it.
Talk soon,
Moriah
P.S. If you're at the stage where you have things to delegate but no real structure to do it well, that's one of the first things I build with clients. If you're curious about what working together could look like, check out my services here.
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