For a while I believed I had delegated most of my operations. People were handling listings, inventory coordination, customer messages and logistics follow-up. I was still involved in nearly every decision.
The tasks had moved. The questions kept coming back to me.
Finding where the work stopped
I started asking whether a function could keep producing the right outcomes if I stopped checking it. For most functions, the answer was a queue of questions waiting for me.
Some people had a task list but no clear outcome to own. Others could complete routine work, then had to ask me about every exception. In places where the standard lived only in my head, asking me was the only way to know whether something was right.
I could not solve that by handing over more tasks. I needed to make the decisions and standards clearer.
Giving people room to decide
I redefined roles around outcomes and the decisions a person could make. Each function got a list: decisions they could make alone, decisions they could make and report and decisions that still needed me.
The aim was to move more routine decisions into the first two groups as the person and the process improved.
That took more work at the start. I had to explain the standard, write down the limits and accept that someone might choose a different approach within them. Giving room to decide also means carrying the consequences of decisions I did not make myself.
Why this matters for growth
Building Xeller made this more important. Brands need the agreed work to be delivered consistently. The team needs enough clarity to act, while knowing which price, spending or stock decisions require the owner’s approval.
More accounts or orders should not simply create a longer queue for me. The operating work needs clear responsibility and useful reviews, so the team can act and the owner can see what needs a decision.
Some functions began running with less involvement from me. Others showed gaps in how I had defined the work. If I was still deciding each case differently, there was no clear approach for someone else to follow.
I am still building this. Large supplier commitments, new product bets and decisions that materially change the cash position remain close to me. The useful measure is whether more of the routine work can be delivered well, with fewer questions needing my intervention.