“Every manager first thinks of delegation as a Time Management tool,” I said. “And it is powerful, but not if you think about it in terms of Time Management.”

Julio nodded that he was listening but I could see the skepticism in his eyes.

“You think you can save an hour here or there, but that is chump change compared to the leverage available. Julio, tell me, what are the major benefits to you, as a manager, when you are able to effectively delegate?”

“Okay,” Julio started. “If I can delegate, I can spend more time working on more important things. I can get more done. I may be able to get enough done to take off a little early, maybe take a full half-hour for lunch. I would have time to start on projects that have been sitting on the back burner. I would have more time for coaching and planning.”

“And that’s the problem.” I countered.

Julio looked at me sideways.