Delegation That Sticks: Turn Tasks Into Ownership
- Alex Khachaturian
- Sep 19
- 5 min read
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TL;DR
Paint what good looks like (outcome + constraints), not steps.
Use Brief → Boundaries → Backstop to prevent boomerangs.
Close the loop with a learned/earned review so the behavior sticks.
The Boomerang Task
You delegate. It comes right back with, “Quick question…” Then another. Then a Slack DM at 9:47 p.m. Now you’re doing the task you delegated, plus emotional cleanup.
What changed my leadership life was treating delegation like designing ownership. Not dumping tasks, installing responsibility. That shift turned my 60-minute handoffs into 10-minute “done without me” briefs.
This article gives you the exact script, plus the mental models from Jocko Willink (Extreme Ownership), David Marquet (Turn the Ship Around), Andy Grove (High Output Management), Kim Scott (Radical Candor), Liz Wiseman (Multipliers), and the learning science behind Make It Stick (Brown, Roediger, McDaniel). Wrap them together, and you get delegation that sticks.
Quick Win: 10-Min Delegation Script
Use this verbatim on your next handoff.
Context (30 sec): “Here’s why this matters and what’s at stake.”
Outcome (60 sec): “What ‘good’ looks like by date/time: metric, quality bar, format.”
Constraints (60 sec): “Budget/time guardrails, tools to use/avoid, non-negotiables.”
Authority (60 sec): “You own decisions A/B/C. Pull me only if D/E happens.”
Checkpoints (60 sec): “Two touchpoints: Wed 3p (risk scan), Fri 10a (ship review).”
Teach-back (90 sec): “Tell me the plan back in your words.”
Backstop (60 sec): “If X risk hits, do Y immediately, then inform me.”
Close (30 sec): “You’ve got this. Outcome > steps. I’m here if the red lines trip.”
Time: ~8–10 minutes. The teach-back is the glue (hello, Make It Stick).
Recommended Books
Extreme Ownership
Written by: Jocko Willink & Leif Babin
Best for: Leaders who need clear lines of responsibility and execution under pressure.
What you’ll get: A simple, relentless standard: you own outcomes, period. Decentralized command and clear commander’s intent.
How to use it: Start with “Commander’s Intent” and “Decentralized Command.” Translate each project into an intent + sandbox.
Field Tip: In your brief, literally say “Commander’s intent: _"
Pro Tip: During reviews, ask “What did we own vs. what owned us?”
Turn the Ship Around
Written by: L. David Marquet
Best for: Shifting from permission-based to intent-based leadership.
What you’ll get: Language that creates ownership: “I intend to…” instead of “Can I…?”
How to use it: Require team to propose plan + safeguards. You approve intent, not tasks.
Field Tip: Replace status meetings with “intent reviews.”
Pro Tip: Post a short “Intent Template” in your team channel.
Make It Stick
Written by: Brown, Roediger, McDaniel
Best for: Turning one-offs into repeatable skill.
What you’ll get: Retrieval practice, spacing, and “generation” to make knowledge durable.
How to use it: Bake “teach-back,” spaced check-ins, and small practice reps into delegation.
Field Tip: End brief with a 60-second teach-back.
Pro Tip: Schedule a 2-week “spaced review” to cement the win.
Step-by-Step Playbook For Delegation That Sticks
Start with Intent: Paint “What Good Looks Like”
Outcome: “By Tuesday 4 p.m., publish a client-ready 2-page summary with X metric, Y chart, and Z recommendation.”
Why it matters (Jocko): tie the task to mission and consequences.
Quality bar: examples of acceptable vs. excellent.
Ownership statement: “You own delivery and decisions A/B/C.”
Set the Sandbox: Boundaries That Create Speed
Borrow from Andy Grove’s task-relevant maturity (TRM): give more specificity when skill is low, more autonomy when high.
Budget/time: “≤ 6 hours; ship v1 by Thu.”
Constraints: tools, reviewers, data sources; what to avoid.
Red lines: “If forecast slips 24h or cost >$500, trigger the backstop.”
Install Authority with Intent-Based Language
From Marquet: “I intend to…” forces clarity and pre-commitment.
Require team to propose: plan, risks, mitigations, and success criteria.
You approve the intent, not step-by-step tasks.
Make It Stick (Learning Science)
From Make It Stick:
Teach-back: they restate the plan; you coach gaps.
Generation: they outline approach before you give tips.
Spacing: two short reviews beat one long one.
Interleaving: mix small, varied reps across projects.
Build the Brief: Brief → Boundaries → Backstop
Brief: context, outcome, definition of done.
Boundaries: constraints, authorities, red lines.
Backstop: pre-agreed “if-this-then-that” when risks hit.
Schedule Two Checkpoints (Then Get Out of the Way)
Risk Scan (mid-flight, 15 min): “What could derail us? What’s the plan?”
Ship Review (end, 20–30 min): verify outcome, capture learning, set next rep.
Remove Blockers, Not Agency
Your job is air cover: escalate, resource, sequence. Don’t steal the pen. Ask, “What do you need from me to keep ownership?”
Close the Loop: Review as a Growth Engine
Earned/Learned: list what the delegate earned (trust, scope) and learned.
Upgrade the brief: what you’ll clarify next time.
Public praise, private notes: reinforce the behavior you want scaled.
Scale It: From One Task to a System
Post a Delegation Template in your team hub.
Track a simple Delegation Board: owner, outcome, due, red lines, next checkpoint.
Graduated autonomy: as someone nails outcomes, expand their sandbox.
Troubleshooting
Symptom → Likely Cause → Fix
Boomerang questions → Vague outcome or missing constraints → Rewrite “definition of done” + sandbox.
Endless drafts → No authority or fear of being wrong → Approve intent and decisions A/B/C.
Slipped deadlines → No red-line triggers → Add backstop rules (e.g., “24h slip → page me”).
Quality misses → No examples of “good” → Show 1 good/1 great sample; require teach-back.
Micromanaging creep → Low TRM but you gave wide autonomy → Increase specificity; revisit in two reps.
“I didn’t know…” → Weak context → Start briefs with stakes and mission impact.
Dependency hell → Unmapped cross-team risks → Surface dependencies in the intent review; assign owners.
Quiet refusal → Psychological safety gap → Use Radical Candor: challenge directly, care personally; ask, “What worries you about owning this?”
FAQ
Q1: How do I delegate high-risk work without losing control?
Use red lines and backstops. You’re delegating decisions inside a sandbox, not the consequences outside it.
Q2: What if the person is new or under-skilled?
Increase specificity (Grove’s TRM). More examples, tighter checkpoints, then widen the lane as they perform.
Q3: Isn’t teach-back patronizing?
No, it’s science. Retrieval practice improves accuracy and retention. It protects both of you from false alignment.
Q4: How many checkpoints are “just right”?
Two. Mid-flight risk scan + pre-ship review. Anything more is micromanaging; anything less invites surprises.
Q5: How do I ensure the behavior scales?
Standardize the brief, post it publicly, praise in the open, and tie promotions to ownership, not heroics.
Q6: Where does Jocko’s “Extreme Ownership” show up day-to-day?
In your language: intent, mission, consequences. In your systems: backstops, after-action reviews, and leaders who say, “This is on me.”
Field Checklist
☐ Start with why (stakes/mission)
☐ Define what good looks like (outcome, by when)
☐ Set constraints (time, budget, tools, non-negotiables)
☐ Clarify authority (decisions they own)
☐ Establish red lines and backstops
☐ Require teach-back
☐ Book two checkpoints
☐ Protect agency (remove blockers, don’t take the pen)
☐ Close with earned/learned review
☐ Post the template and track the board
Results & ROI
Track these four signals for 30 days:
Manager hours reclaimed: target 4–8 hrs/week.
Cycle time (delegate start → ship): minus 20–40%.
Rework rate: <10% after ship review.
Scope growth: 1–2 people expand authority (A/B/C → A–E).
If you’re not seeing gains, your outcome is fuzzy, your sandbox is missing, or you’re over/under-indexing TRM.
Wrap-Up
Delegation that sticks is not a talent, it’s a template. Combine Extreme Ownership (intent + consequences), intent-based leadership (approve decisions, not drafts), and Make It Stick (teach-back, spacing), and you’ll ship more, grow leaders, and get your evenings back.
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