Why do many CEOs struggle to delegate? What does AI have to do with this

Delegating tasks is part of the routine of executives in high leadership positions. It is an attitude that contributes to the improvement of the team's competence and even helps to keep employees motivated. However, for many delegating tasks and responsibilities for others to execute is still a great challenge. A State of the Global Workplace 2023 study by Gallup, made with more than 1.400 executives in the United States, identified that three quarters of the respondents have difficulty delegating

For Rodrigo Magalhães, partner of EXEC, many CEOs end up getting involved with operational issues for reasons that may include a lack of trust, courage and good doses of perfectionism. Trust is an important element when it comes to delegating tasks and has a strong connection with courage. To trust the other, he needs to have the audacity to transfer some of the decisions and actions to his direct and indirect team

For Magalhães, delegating does not necessarily mean that the activity will not be supervised. "Even if the CEO demands a task", a function or activity, she will need to be monitored so that he can stay informed about what is happening

Furthermore, according to him, the difficulty in delegating may also be linked to the professional's own personal characteristics, how to be a centralizer and perfectionist

The difficulty in delegating can generate some negative impacts not only for the professional, but also for the company. Among the points highlighted by Rodrigo in this regard is the lack of long-term vision, lack of attention to what happens in the market, besides the lack of focus on macro objectives. "The CEO who is very focused on day-to-day activities ends up having less time to think about innovation", transformation and in the future. He loses a lot by not looking outside the company, losing what happens in the market, besides not paying attention to the broader goals of the organization, that involve the major transformational actions that help move the company's needle

AI can harm a CEO's ability to delegate

The advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has raised some concerns in the market that the technology may replace some positions and, for some, can further reinforce the fear of delegating tasks or functions. According to a survey conducted by ADN Digital in some countries, CEOs are fearful of being replaced by machines – 43% of respondents confirmed feeling this insecurity. I recently participated in a forum in London that brought this topic up for discussion. Some elements in this regard have not yet evolved, mainly regarding the value judgment, that is to say, AI still does not clearly know what is right and wrong, highlights Rodrigo

The partner of EXEC reassures and informs that AI should not replace a CEO, because she is not able to bring an important attribute for decision making, the intuition.For decision making, the final word is still from a human, that commits to information, action, diagnosis or solution, and uses AI as decision support.to build.”

Magalhães also points out that AI can assist the CEO in various areas, be in decision making, providing insights and market analysis, in addition to helping in the formulation of business strategies based on trends and updated data. "Furthermore, can improve business communication, assisting in the drafting and reviewing of corporate documents, like reports, important emails, speeches and statements, and contribute to time management, highlights. According to the ADN research, 45% of executives stated that they make decisions based on data and information using ChatGPT

The partner of EXEC also highlights that AI can serve as support in generating creative ideas for the development of new products, services or marketing strategies, as well as creating educational materials and providing personalized content for team training or individual professional development. "O ChatGPT, for example, there is a lot of information and a wide database, what is important to be able to understand what the market is doing, in addition to facilitating the creation of content for training and employee development, emphasizes

According to the partner of EXEC, the CEO who does not surrender to AI may lose market share. 

How to delegate more and become more strategic

At a time of great transformations in the market, Rodrigo selected five tips to help the CEO detach from the operational routine and become more strategic

1. Have a good "N1". "It is important that he is surrounded by good leaders below him", as vice-president, directors and managers who can embrace operational issues. They need to be very good for the CEO to trust them
2. Create routines to monitor broader goals. "This also involves establishing some management rituals so that the CEO does not feel too distant from the day-to-day activities"
3. Use technology to keep track of what is happening. But that doesn't mean the leader needs to be copied on all emails, послання, be in all WhatsApp groups, alert
4. Practice the habit of delegating every day and question yourself at all times. "It is a behavior exercise", allowing people to make decisions and avoiding the non-centralization of management

For Magalhães, the role of the CEO is to lead the team, define strategies and make decisions that require creativity, business vision and empathy. "It is by delegating that the leader can extract the best from their teams and exercise strategic people management", concludes