Delegation: The Most Rewarding, Frustrating . . . Awesome Part of Running Your Business

by Dave Ramsey

The How, Why and When of Handing Off Responsibility

You’re the CEO of your business—the chief everything officer.

You wear a million hats as a small business owner—and you’re quickly learning that you can’t do it all on your own. But the idea of handing off even the smallest responsibility scares the crap out of you. If you’ve ever told yourself, No one can do this as well as I can or Everything will be screwed up if someone else does this, keep on reading.

Chances are, even if you think you stink at delegation, you probably don’t. And it doesn’t have to be as frustrating or scary as it seems.

In this quick read, you’ll learn two reasons why business owners don’t delegate and how you can overcome them. Walk beside Dave Ramsey as he swiftly guides you through his 30 years of delegation experience, starting as a small business owner to the leader of a company with over 1,100 team members.

With Delegation, you’ll

Why you should delegateWhen and how to delegateHow to apply a delegation strategy to your own business

Genres: Business, Finance

54 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 9, 2023

About the author

Dave Ramsey is America’s trusted voice on money and business. He’s a #1 National bestselling author and host of The Ramsey Show, heard by more than 18 million listeners each week. Dave’s eight national bestselling books include The Total Money Makeover, Baby Steps Millionaires, and EntreLeadership. Since 1992, Dave has helped people take control of their money, build wealth, and enhance their lives. He also serves as CEO of Ramsey Solutions.

Reviews

[Nathan Webb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though this book is written for small business owners, I was able to benefit from it in leading a small church. Really helpful for anyone who has the chance to delegate tasks or concepts in any organization they’re a part of.

[Arbaaz Allybux · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delegation is a succinct, powerful guide aimed at helping leaders and entrepreneurs break free from the “do‑it‑all” trap. Drawing from over 30 years of experience, Dave Ramsey shares a clear, simple framework to empower others and grow your business.

Why Delegation Matters

Ramsey emphasizes that leaders who hold onto all tasks stunt their business’s growth. Delegation is the bridge from working in your business to working on it—freeing up your time for strategic thinking and higher-level priorities.

Overcoming Common Barriers

He identifies two main reasons leaders avoid delegating:
1. They haven’t hired the right people.
2. They can’t let go—often due to a perfectionist mindset.

Key Results Areas (KRAs)

A cornerstone of Ramsey’s method is defining KRAs—Key Results Areas. These one-page role outlines clearly show:
• What the person is responsible for,
• What “winning” looks like,
• The tasks required to achieve it.
This clarity builds ownership and eliminates guesswork.

The Delegation Process

Ramsey walks readers through a straightforward delegation process:
1. Identify tasks to delegate—especially time-sucks or tasks you’re not good at.
2. Match tasks to team members based on their strengths and capacity.
3. Train and hand off using KRAs as the guide.
4. Coach and verify by giving space to work, then offering feedback.


My Review

I found Delegation to be a short but highly effective guide that’s packed with actionable insights. Dave’s writing is punchy and to the point—no fluff, just useful strategies you can implement right away.

The concept of KRAs stood out as a game-changer. That single-page framework brings clarity and accountability to roles in a way I’ve rarely seen in such concise form. And the clear four-step process—identify, match, train/hand off, coach—lays out exactly how to build trust and ownership in your team.

If you’ve ever felt stuck doing everything yourself, this book will help you loosen your grip and build momentum.

[Rachel Paris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the idea of the rope/cord that Dave mentions, especially with his children. Let the rope go a little and let them make their own choices, and if they mess up or make mistakes, bring the rope back a little. Same concept with delegation and being a manager. Give employees tasks and let them run with it, and when there are mistakes, learn from them and bring the rope back a little before giving it all completely.

[Christian Sarailis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast read. Sparks a lot of interesting thinkings, leaving you with the responsibility to detail it so it applies to your business. It could have gone further in the « how to delegate » aspect of the thing. I would have love to have techniques applicable in a more day to day theatre. Anyway, I recommend this read to any business owner growing to asking himself how to delegate. This book lay down the principles to start delegating, leaving you with how to effectively do it for your business.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well explained thesis. He breaks down the steps to accomplish delegation successfully, and have it last long term. There are links to resources as well!

[Chelsea Moga · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book that every Business leader and Business Owner should read!!

[Gavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid fundamentals of delegation. Accountability is not micromanaging.

[James Allred · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short primer on delegation but very impactful. I will reread this often.