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In today’s fast-paced workplace, it’s common leadership advice to “just delegate.” But what happens when you’ve already offloaded all you can—and your team is just as maxed out as you are?
That’s the question leadership coaches Frans van Loef and Jordan Stark tackle in their April 2025 Harvard Business Review article, “When you’re overloaded—and delegating isn’t an option.” Drawing on their work with hundreds of executives, they lay out three key strategies that go beyond delegation to help leaders and teams reclaim capacity and reduce burnout—without sacrificing impact.
First, they urge leaders to embrace “good enough” work. Perfectionism, they argue, is one of the biggest drains on time and energy. Leaders should coach their teams to intentionally calibrate effort based on the stakes—like sending rough-draft updates instead of polished reports or simplifying decision-making processes to match the risk level.
Second, they encourage identifying and eliminating low-value tasks—many of which are hiding in plain sight as unnecessary reports, bloated meetings, and outdated workflows. Through simple exercises like imagining a four-day workweek, teams can uncover surprising opportunities to streamline and focus on what really matters.
They also advocate for reducing availability. Too much access to a leader creates dependence, distractions, and inefficiency. Instead, leaders can shift into lighter-touch roles—checking in only at key points, using asynchronous updates, and setting clearer boundaries around meeting time.
Ultimately, the authors argue that leaders must rethink not just what they do, but how they do it. By stepping back and making intentional changes—rather than simply pushing harder—they can create space to lead more strategically and sustainably.
Get the rest of the authors’ tips in the full article from Harvard Business Review.
