“As leader, your primary role is to set the vision and strategy for the team — steering the ship toward its goals,” Hains says. “By delegating tasks and responsibilities, you not only free up your time to focus on higher-level priorities but also empower your team members to develop their skills, take ownership of their work and contribute to the team’s success. Effective delegation builds trust within the team.”

“No one person can do it all,” says Jeff True, vice president of operations at Hursthouse Landscape Architects and Contractors in Bolingbrook, Illinois. “If you want to keep people for their entire career, they have to feel they are growing. Growth comes from delegation. It allows a more timely response to clients and lets people be specialists in their area of expertise. A high-performing team that is both efficient and results-oriented is rooted in delegation.”

“When delegating, I focus on the bigger picture and hand off tasks like project management, client communication and execution to my incredible team,” Crosby says. “At first it was hard — especially because I’m a bit of a perfectionist. But once I saw the results of trusting my team, it became easier.”

6 Pros Share Strategies for Leading Under Pressure