I watched the elevator floor indicators slowly tick upward, feeling more anxious with every ping. I had given my team full responsibility for organising a meeting. But not just any meeting. This was a high-stakes event at Parliament with top politicians, civil servants, journalists, and my boss in attendance. As a sign of trust, I had chosen not to review any of their preparations. ALSO READ: The risk of not delegating work The doors opened on the top floor and an incredible function followed. We achieved every objective we had set, and my team walked on air for weeks afterwards, buzzing with pride. They had pulled off something brilliant, and they knew it. Sometimes, the most important thing we have to do as leaders is nothing. Just step back and give our people the space they need to amaze us with their brilliance. Many leaders I work with in Rwanda struggle with this. Delegating well is hard in any setting, but especially when you’re surrounded by real constraints. Skill gaps exist. Expectations are high. Boards, CEOs and regulators are very unforgiving. Fully empowering someone can lead not only to their failure but also to your contribution being ignored. What if the project succeeds, but it looks like you weren’t involved? In tough internal labour markets, that feels very threatening. My advice? Do it anyway. Any experienced Board member or CEO will know that leaders who empower their teams are more valuable in the long run than those who are always at the centre of everything. When you hoard decisions and approvals, you may feel safer, but you’re also stifling the growth and performance of your people. So, how do you delegate well? First, take time to define success. Be clear about what a good outcome looks like and how progress will be measured. This makes it easier for everyone to stay aligned without needing constant supervision. It’s also important to explain the consequences of success or failure. When people understand what is at stake, they are more likely to take their responsibilities seriously and to feel ownership of the work. Next, set clear boundaries. Let your team know what constraints they are working within in terms of time, budget, and quality. These limits create structure without micromanagement. Make sure roles are understood. Be explicit about what the team member is responsible for, and what your role will be going forward. This includes how you will support them and when you will check in. Good delegation doesn’t mean disappearing, it means shifting your attention to the start of a project, not the finish. Investing time upfront always leads to better outcomes than scrambling to fix things at the end. Real delegation takes courage from both sides. Managers need to trust more than feels comfortable and be ready to step out of the spotlight. Team members need to accept more than they feel ready for and take full responsibility for outcomes. Even with the best preparation, things still go wrong, and everyone has to be mentally ready for that possibility. But the payoff is worth it. When you delegate well, your team grows stronger, things move much faster, and your organisation builds depth. You will create a space where people don’t just perform, but thrive. As they say, graveyards are full of indispensable people. The true legacy of leadership isn’t what you achieve yourself, it’s what you enable others to do. That starts by saying the hardest words of all: You got this. The writer is the CEO of Transforming Engagements (TES) Ltd, a Kigali-based consultancy that helps organisations prosper by transforming leadership and culture.
