Delegation vs. Abdication

This principle exists to prevent loss of responsibility through misplaced trust.

Definitions

Delegation

• Ownership of outcomes is retained.
• Execution is assigned.
• Systems, constraints, and success criteria are explicit.
• Failure is detectable and correctable.

Abdication

• Ownership is surrendered.
• Responsibility is assumed to have transferred.
• Outcomes are vague or implicit.
• Failure arrives as surprise.

The Core Distinction

Delegation keeps responsibility.
Abdication gives it away.

Trust does not remove accountability.

Readiness Test

Before delegating, the owner must be able to answer:

1. What does “done” look like?
2. How will I know if this is drifting?
3. Where would I look first if this failed?

If these cannot be answered, delegation is premature.

Professional Filter

Delegation is appropriate only when the executor:

• clarifies objectives without prompting
• surfaces constraints early
• proposes next actions
• manages their own feedback loop

Absent these behaviors, only task-level execution should be assigned.

Rule

Outcomes are never outsourced.
Only execution is.

Last substantive revision: 2025-05-24
Next review: when reality disagrees