Barriers to Delegation: How to Overcome “I Can Do It Faster” Thinking

tonylsilvio
5 days ago
3 min read

By Tony Silvio — Mindset & Performance Coach, Perth, Western Australia

The Most Common Excuse in Leadership

“I can do it faster.”

Every business owner and senior leader has heard it. Many have said it. On the surface, it sounds logical — after all, you know the task, you have the experience, and you can get it done quickly.

But here’s the trap: when managers live by this phrase, it becomes a barrier to growth. What feels efficient in the moment quietly erodes capability, burns time, and keeps leaders stuck in the weeds.

The Hidden Cost of “Faster”

Poor delegation rarely shows up as one dramatic failure. It shows up as:

Bottlenecks: Work piles up on the desks of managers who won’t let go.
Missed Development: Staff never learn new skills because they’re shielded from meaningful work.
Burnout: Leaders run at full tilt while their teams sit under-utilised.
Slower Long-Term Delivery: The manager may finish the task quickly today, but the organisation moves slower tomorrow because no one else can do it.

Ubersuggest data shows that “barriers to delegation” is one of the most common searches worldwide. The phrase “I can do it faster” ranks right alongside “I can do it better” and “I can’t afford a mistake” as the top reasons leaders fail to delegate.

It’s not a leadership strategy. It’s a bottleneck.

Why Leaders Fall Into This Trap

Pride in Competence: Leaders are rewarded for being good at what they do. Letting go feels like lowering standards.
Pressure of Time: When deadlines loom, it feels easier to do it yourself than to explain it.
Fear of Mistakes: Delegation feels risky when perfectionism is the default.
Lack of a Framework: Most middle managers are never taught how to delegate. They confuse delegation with dumping.

The Mindset Shift

The real question isn’t “Can I do it faster?” The real question is:👉 “Should I be the one doing it at all?”

Leaders who master delegation know that their role isn’t to outpace their team. It’s to create capability. That requires a shift from speed to scalability.

The Delegation Flow Loop: A System That Works

At Midas Mindset, I coach leaders to use a simple repeatable system — the Delegation Flow Loop — to overcome the “faster” trap:

Explain Why – Start with clarity. People do better when they understand the reason behind the task.
Share Ownership – Don’t just pass actions. Give decision rights.
Match Strengths – Delegate tasks to the person best equipped to succeed.
Offer Support – Be a safety net, not a leash. Step in without hovering.
Recognise Success – Credit builds confidence and loyalty.

This loop turns delegation into a leadership discipline, not an afterthought. It removes ambiguity, builds trust, and — most importantly — frees leaders to operate at the right level.

From Efficiency to Effectiveness

Yes, you can probably do it faster. But leadership isn’t about speed. It’s about multiplying capability.

When managers cling to tasks, they cap their team’s potential. When they delegate well, they create space for themselves to focus on strategy — and for their people to grow.

The next time the thought “I can do it faster” pops into your head, stop and ask: Am I solving a task… or building a team?

About the Author

Tony Silvio is a Mindset & Performance Coach based in Perth, Western Australia. Through Midas Mindset, he helps business leaders, corporate executives, and sporting professionals build clarity, resilience, and capability using stoic, practical frameworks.