I spent most of last week with a nasty bout of gastroenteritis, so work had to take an unplanned back seat to rest and recovery. But that did mean I read a lot and so for this issue I bring you three articles that circle around a single question: how do you get things done through other people?

Whether it’s handing off tasks to your team, thinking about the relational structures that underpin your organisation or building the kind of influence that makes outcomes easier for everyone, the common thread here is that founders who try to do everything themselves eventually hit a ceiling.

And the good news is that each of these pieces offers practical ways to break through it. Have a great week and stay healthy.

RECOMMENDED THIS WEEK #1

How to delegate in six steps

Dr Hayley Lewis sets out why people struggle to delegate – from perfectionism to a fear of losing control – and explains the research-backed benefits when they do manage it. She explains a practical six step framework, covering everything from listing and prioritising tasks through to matching delegation levels with team member experience, communicating expectations clearly and giving feedback afterwards.

My take:​
Hayley’s newsletter is one of the few that I always open without fail. I like that she treats delegation as a genuine skill to be developed rather than a simple instruction to “just let go.” I chose to include it because the distinction between delegating and dumping is one that too many founders fail to make and her three level model for tailoring your approach is immediately usable for any founder.

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RECOMMENDED THIS WEEK #2

Beyond hierarchies: the real org chart

Joost from Corporate Rebels argues that relationships, not org charts, are what truly shape organisational outcomes. Drawing on anthropologist Alan Fiske’s four relational models (Authority Ranking, Market Pricing, Equality Matching and Communal Sharing), he maps these onto different self-managing organisation types from Haier’s internal micro-enterprises to Buurtzorg’s purpose-driven nursing teams.

My take:​
I’ve become increasingly cynical about the self-management movement over recent years, but I found this a genuinely thought-provoking reframing of self-management, moving beyond structural mechanics to the human connections that make or break any organisational model. For founders considering how to scale without defaulting to traditional hierarchy, the relational lens offered here is a valuable starting point.

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RECOMMENDED THIS WEEK #3

A clean path to power: six moves that work

Richard Claydon presents six practical moves for building power with integrity, drawing on Jeffrey Pfeffer’s research but adding some guardrails of transparency, contestability and proportionality. Through a running case study and concrete micro-practices such as publishing “decisionable drafts” to building power maps and crafting a repeatable one-sentence story, Richard argues that power comes not from deserving it but from making outcomes easier and making that contribution visible.

My take:​
I found this a refreshingly honest take on a topic that many founders and leaders find uncomfortable to discuss openly. I included it because I liked how the practical framework turns abstract ideas about influence into specific actions. The emphasis on clean and transparent power feels particularly relevant for any founder building a company culture they can be proud of.

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