Million Dollar Team Principle #9 – Ask Yourself: “Who Else Could Do This for Me?”
One of the most powerful questions a team leader can ask is: Who else could do this for me? And a close follow-up: If I had that time back, what could I do that is more useful to the business?
I was once told by a multi-millionaire entrepreneur,someone who had built several seven-figure businesses,that he could wake up tomorrow, pick any industry, and build another one to seven figures in less than a year.
How?
He mastered hiring, training, systems, and most importantly, people management.
But it was something else he told me that truly changed the way I run my team:
“If someone can do it 80% as well as you, delegate it.”
This hit me like a ton of bricks.
It’s something every top producer needs to hear. Most top producers are trapped in the lie of self-importance. They believe they’re the only ones who can do the job right. And they wear that belief like a badge of honor,“I’m the best. No one else can do what I do.” But the truth is: that mindset keeps them small, stuck, and stressed.
I know, because I lived it.
The Day I Let Go
In my second year running a team, I was still working buyers. I had perfected the buyer experience. I knew the market better than anyone. I could sniff out deals, analyze numbers, and out-negotiate anyone. I believed no one could outperform Nick McLean on the buyer side.
Then Beth called me.
I had sold her a home in my early years,back when I was doing 30 deals a year. She remembered the white-glove service, the strategy, the hustle. Now she wanted to buy again and reached out to me personally.
I was honored… but also overloaded. I was now leading a growing team and selling 60 homes personally a year. Still, I took the call. But after a few weeks of missed follow-ups and delayed responses, she let me know,kindly,that she was thinking about using someone else. She said I seemed too busy.
And she was right.
That’s when I realized something important:
Top producers say, “I’m never too busy for you.” But that’s a lie.
Only a team can truly never be too busy, because a team, if built right, scales to meet demand.
So I did what felt impossible at the time,I delegated. I introduced Beth to Sue, one of our team’s buyer agents. I told Beth I’d be overseeing things in the background, but Sue would be her main point of contact. Sue, at the time, was about 80% as good as me. Maybe less.
Beth gave Sue a shot.
She ended up loving the experience. Found a great home. Gave rave reviews. And here’s the kicker,Sue eventually became a better buyer agent than I ever was.
Why We Don’t Delegate (and Why We Must)
There are three deadly beliefs that keep team leaders stuck in the weeds:
- “No one can do it like me.”
You’re right,they won’t. And they shouldn’t. They’ll do it their way, with your guidance. And sometimes their way will be better. - “I’ll lose the relationship.”
Get over yourself. If your system and people are excellent, the relationship with the brand will be even stronger. You’re building something bigger than yourself. - “Clients won’t be happy.”
Not if you disappear. But if you manage the handoff and make the client feel cared for by your entire team, they’ll be delighted.
Peter Drucker, the father of modern management, said:
“Do what you do best, and delegate the rest.”
Delegation isn’t giving up control, it’s expanding your influence. It’s allowing others to grow. Drucker also said:
“The productivity of work is not the responsibility of the worker but of the manager.”
If you want to scale, if you want freedom, if you want to truly lead, you must become a master of delegation.
Beth is still a fan. Even though Sue eventually left the team, the goodwill Beth has for our company remains. That’s the power of building something bigger than yourself.
Delegation is not abdication. It’s evolution.
And the next time you’re doing something that’s draining your time, your joy, or your potential, stop and ask yourself:
Who else could do this for me?
And what could I do instead that would move the business forward?
That’s leadership.
That’s freedom.
That’s scale.
