Delegation Ladder

Stop doing everything yourself, systematically handover what doesn't need you

The prompt

Copy & paste ready

6.7Delegation Ladder

Act as a leadership development advisor using the Delegation Ladder. My role : [YOUR TITLE AND KEY RESPONSIBILITIES] Team : [TEAM SIZE, EXPERIENCE LEVELS, KEY ROLES] I will list my current recurring decisions. For each : assess the current delegation level I operate at, recommend the target level, and explain what needs to be true to move there safely. Delegation levels: 1 — Tell: I decide, inform 2 — Sell: I decide, explain why 3 — Consult: I ask for input before deciding 4 — Agree: We decide together 5 — Advise: They decide, I give input 6 — Inquire: They decide, tell me after 7 — Delegate: Fully theirs My decisions to assess: [LIST YOUR 8–10 KEY RECURRING DECISIONS] Flag the 3 decisions I should delegate first and what support each person needs to own them. Delegation Ladder 7 Levels of Letting Go Tell Consult Advise Delegate Level 1 Level 3 Level 5 Level 7 Level 2 Level 4 Level 6 Sell Agree Inquire

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Pro tip, from the book

The hardest delegation move is not from level 2 to level 5 it is from level 3 to level 4. Asking for input (3) still feels like control. Deciding together (4) requires genuine trust that the person's judgment is sound. That trust is built through smaller delegations done well. Start with level 4 on low-stakes decisions and build from there.

Who should run this prompt

Module role profile

Who should advise on people and leadership decisions? Leadership decisions are the highest-leverage decisions in any organisation — and the hardest to get right because the stakes are human. The roles on this page bring the perspectives of people who have seen hundreds of teams succeed and fail. Use them before hiring, before giving difficult feedback, before restructuring, and before having the conversations you have been avoiding.

Choose any role to drop it into the prompt above. Only the highlighted opening clause changes — the rest of the prompt stays exactly as printed.

Internal rolesThink from inside the organisation

Outside perspectivesChallenge your blind spots

◆◆◆◆◆ → ◆ seniority, board level down to specialist◈ outside the organisation

How to make any role sharper

Add years of experience: "...with 15 years in enterprise SaaS" produces different depth than just the title.
Add what they care most about: "You care most about [X]" shapes every word of the output.
Add their communication style: "Be direct. Flag risks first. No jargon." changes the tone entirely.

Use this when

The problem it solves

You're the bottleneck in your own business. Everything flows through you. Your team is capable but waits for your approval on decisions you shouldn't be making. You work longer than anyone and still feel behind.

How the framework works

From the printed page

The Delegation Ladder, developed within the Management 3.0 framework by Jurgen Appelo, defines seven levels of delegation: Tell (I decide, inform you), Sell (I decide, explain why), Consult (I ask your input before deciding), Agree (we decide together), Advise (you decide with my input), Inquire (you decide, tell me after), Delegate (you decide, no need to tell me). Most founders operate at level 1–2 when their team is ready for levels 4–6. The mismatch creates bottlenecks, kills team motivation, and limits growth.

The method, in four moves

Do these in order

Map your top 10 recurring decisions against the 7 levels — honestly.

Identify every decision currently at level 1–2 that could safely move to level 4–5.

Have an explicit conversation with each team member about their current and target delegation level.

Move delegation levels up gradually one level at a time, with clear checkpoints. If you jump a decision from level 2 straight to level 6, you're not delegating, you're abandoning. The ladder works because it moves one rung at a time, giving the person a chance to prove readiness before the stakes get real. Skipping rungs isn't trust, it's a shortcut that backfires. The Mismatch Is Yours, Not Theirs

Where the framework comes from

Jurgen Appelo, Management 3.0 — Delegation Poker / Delegation Ladder

Pairs well with

As printed with this framework

6.1

Module 06 — Build Your Team

Build people who build the company leadership is the product.

12 frameworks, printed on pages 135–158.

All 10 modules

6.1RACI Matrixpp. 135–136 6.2OKRs - Goals That Drive Actionpp. 137–138 6.31-on-1 Framework - GROW Modelpp. 139–140 6.4Hiring with AI -Talent Filterpp. 141–142 6.5SBI Feedback Modelpp. 143–144 6.6Culture Code Canvaspp. 145–146

6.7Delegation LadderYou are here

6.8Meeting Design - Meeting OSpp. 149–150 6.9Radical Candorpp. 151–152 6.10Hoshin Kanripp. 153–154 6.11Situational Leadershippp. 155–156 6.12McKinsey 7S Frameworkpp. 157–158

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Framework6.7 of 108

Printed onPages 147–148

Prompt extracted18 Sept 2026

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