Hey!

Chris here. Welcome to Blueprint—the newsletter to help you build a winning engineering team.

A lot of founders think delegation is binary: Either you do everything yourself or you hand it off completely and hope for the best.

But that limited thinking is exactly why you fail when trying to hand off certain tasks or functions.

Real delegation happens in stages. Each level builds trust and capability until you reach the point where your team makes better decisions than you would (yes, it's possible).

I call this the Delegation Ladder. Let me break it down.

📒 DEEP DIVE

How to Trust Your Team (Without Losing Your Mind)

The ladder system that takes employees from mindlessly following SOPs to making better decisions than you would.

The 5 Levels of the Delegation Ladder

Here's the framework that will change how you think about handing off work to your team:

Level 1: Follow the SOP Exactly

This is where everyone starts. The team member (or members) who receives it needs to treat your SOP like their bible.

For certain task-heavy roles, this might be as far as you need to go. The work is straightforward, decisions are minimal and tactical, and following the process gets the job done.

But for most positions, the SOP is just the foundation. The key at this level is making sure you're crystal clear about what to do when the process doesn't work or doesn't apply. You need built-in failsafes because your ability to delegate effectively depends on how much the SOP can handle without people constantly coming back to ask you questions.

Level 2: Research and Ask Questions

Now your employee takes some ownership of the process. 

They do the research themselves, but when they hit a roadblock or need clarification, they come to you with specific questions they couldn't solve on their own.

When they do come to you, the conversation changes completely. Instead of "What should I do about X?" it becomes "I researched X and found these three options, but I need clarification on which one fits our situation.

You're still making the decisions, but they're doing the homework. This saves you time and shows you who has the curiosity and work ethic to dig deeper when things get complicated.

Level 3: Come With Solutions, Not Just Problems

This is the critical transition point.

It's where you start seeing real initiative and get a sense for how they approach challenges and unknowns. They're doing more than following instructions. They're thinking through the work, identifying gaps, and taking responsibility for finding answers before escalating to you.

The difference between Level 1 and Level 2 is that they're now actively problem-solving within the framework you've given them.

When they encounter something outside the SOP or hit a challenge, they don't just identify the problem—they solve it, too.

They come to you with: "Here's the situation, and here's what I think we should do."

Now you're having a strategic conversation about solutions instead of just explaining what to do next. You might tweak their approach, but they're driving the thinking. This level separates people who can follow instructions from people who can actually think through problems.

Level 4: Make the Decision, Then Report

At this level, your team members make the call and tell you what they decided afterward. They're confident enough in their judgment (and their understanding of yours) to act in the manner you would, or at least in a manner you can trust even if it isn't the same choice you'd make.

This is where your C-suite should operate, and most of your senior-level talent. It's very rare that executive teams should ask permission. They make informed decisions and keep you updated on what they chose and why.

The key here is the trust you've built by watching their judgment in action.

Level 5: Own the Outcome Entirely

The final level is complete ownership. They handle challenges, make decisions, manage outcomes, and drive results without needing regular check-ins from you.

At this point, they often own a section of your P&L. They're responsible for both revenue and expenses in their area, and they're probably compensated based on those results.

The magic happens when their decisions are consistently better than the ones you would make because they've become the true expert in their domain. They know the details, the nuances, and the day-to-day realities better than you do.

The Two Factors That Make This Work

 The Delegation Ladder only works if you get two things right:

1. Increased Motivation: Your employees have to actually care about the outcome. This comes from shared values, clear mission, proper compensation structure, or genuine investment in the company's success.

2. Improved Capability: Motivation without skill gets you nowhere. You have to invest in training—real training, not just handing someone an SOP and hoping for the best.

I could have the most motivated sales team in the world, but if they don't know how to close, the job doesn't get done. Same with developers who are excited about the project but don't understand the codebase.

When the Ladder Breaks

Sometimes people get stuck at a level, and you need to diagnose why.

If someone can't move past Level 1 or 2, ask yourself: Is this a training issue or a person issue?

Sometimes the problem is your communication or patience as a teacher. But sometimes—and you need to be honest about this—they're just the wrong person for the role.

I've learned this lesson the hard way: If you've moved someone twice in your organization, that's one too many. At that point, the issue isn't finding them the right seat—it's that they're not right for your bus.

Making It Systematic

 The Delegation Ladder works because it's predictable. Your team knows what the next level looks like and what they need to demonstrate to get there.

It also protects you from the perfectionist trap. You don't need to wait until someone can handle Level 5 responsibilities before you start delegating. You can hand off Level 1 and 2 tasks immediately while building toward the bigger stuff.

Start with an MVP SOP—don't spend months perfecting documentation. Get the outline down, start training, and improve the process as you go.

🎙 EPISODE OF THE WEEK

This week on Build Your Business, Matt dives into a question every coach faces: Is online coaching better than in-person training?

He breaks down why online coaching offers unmatched freedom, better financial efficiency, and stronger client results than traditional gym sessions. Drawing on decades of experience running gyms and building TurnKey Coach, he explains how technology has completely transformed what's possible in coaching.

Whether you're a burned-out gym owner, a coach looking to scale beyond your local market, or just curious about how online coaching actually works, this episode shows you how to build a high-impact business from anywhere in the world.

Check it out: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube

BEFORE YOU GO…

The ladder only works if you commit to climbing it systematically.

Start with Level 1 today. Write that MVP SOP. Schedule the training. And remember—your job isn't to create mini versions of yourself. It's to build people who can eventually make better decisions than you would.

The goal is to work yourself out of the details so you can focus on what only you can do.

Talk soon,

Chris.