The Delegation Death Spiral

Managers think they're delegating.

They're starting wars.

They have a problem they don't want to think through. Without framework, direction or constraints, they hand it to someone else.

Just "figure something out that I'll like."

Staff think hard and return with options. Managers realize it's not what they wanted, give more context, and send staff back to try again.

Now staff are guessing the manager's thoughts.

Managers are frustrated staff can't read their mind.

Both sides are wasting cognitive fuel on problems they could solve in 10 minutes with clear thinking.

This is cognitive offloading warfare.

It's everywhere.

Each round trip creates more confusion, meetings, and revisions.

The original problem disappears under failed solutions.

Teams start hedging. They bring three options instead of one good answer.

Managers pick one, change it, then wonder why execution feels slow.

The fix is simple: Do cognitive work first. Know what good looks like before handing off.

Give people a target, not a treasure hunt.

Delegation without direction isn't leadership.

It's cognitive warfare on your people.