What My Blinds Guy Taught Me About Delegation

"They just didn't get it right."

I hear this from founders all the time.

Usually, the problem isn't the execution. It's that they handed someone a list of instructions instead of a picture of success.

A few weeks ago, I had a blind problem. Literally.

I spend a lot of time on video calls. My old blinds let in too much light, and sunlight leaked right through the center seam, leaving me squinting mid-meeting.

I didn't have time to shop around, so I called Matt, a local blinds specialist.

Instead of telling him how to fix it, I told him what success looked like.

I explained the problem, gave him the window measurements, and described the outcome I wanted: no harsh glare during video calls and zero light leaking through the center.

Matt listened for a minute and said:

"Got it. We'll replace your light-filtering blinds with room-darkening ones, and we'll apply 100% light-blocking film to seal the center gap."

Problem solved.

It struck me afterward why the experience went so smoothly:

I didn't tell him how to solve the problem.

I told him what success looked like.

He brought the technical expertise to make the solution even better than the one I had imagined.

The same principle applies when you're delegating in your business.

Whether you're hiring a contractor, a designer, a marketer, or your next executive, your job isn't to prescribe every step.

Great delegation comes down to two things:

1.) Be crystal clear about what success looks like. Be as precise as possible and provide all the detail they need to see your vision.

2.) Trust the expert to figure out how to achieve it.

You can't expect a specific result from a vague request.