Out-Of-Office Delegation

Delegation doesn’t have to be constant management. Done well, it should look more like a system that runs itself. If you find yourself unavailable (think: vacations or sick with the flu), this will guide you to hands-off productivity.

This article will show you how to grant sweeping access, set ironclad rules, and achieve just as much when you’re OOO.

Put Delegation on Autopilot

Delegation shouldn’t only be effective when you’re in the room — that defeats its purpose. You need to create a self-sustaining system by investing time upfront on context and processes.

What makes this method powerful:

1. Your delegation system keeps humming along, even when you're not actively managing it. Many Athena members go OOO and expect ongoing triage of email/calendar and continued execution of SOPs in place.
2. Once your “autopilot” processes are in place and your assistant has mastered base level delegations, you can delegate more complex tasks or longer form projects. Some examples from Athena members:
   1. Delegating at the goal level ("I want to be more active on LinkedIn. Could you put together a plan for how we can start to do that? Maybe even create a GPT that could write posts in my voice. Open to any and all ideas you might have.”)
   2. Refreshing and refining old projects (“Could you add another twenty low calorie, high protein dishes to my existing food database?”)

Setting Up Your Delegation Infrastructure

For those looking for a refresh on OOO best practices and creating a self-sustaining delegation system, here are 3 things that go a long way:

1/ Grant Access

• Give your assistant full access to your email and calendar. This means they can read, send, and archive emails on your behalf, as well as schedule and decline meetings.

• Here’s an example of an assistant communicating with a client about being out of office:
• Provide login credentials for the things you use, such as your CRM, project management tools, and expense reporting software.
• Set up a LastPass or 1Password account to share passwords securely. Create a shared folder with all necessary logins.
• Authorize your assistant to reset passwords for non-critical accounts. For instance, "If you can't access our Asana workspace, feel free to reset the password and update our shared password manager."
• Bonus: Introduce and give access to people with whom they can liaise directly — for example, your direct reports, or your babysitter or parents.

Example: One Athena member was out on a business trip. He was surprised to find that his assistant had directly communicated with his mother-in-law to have her come to his house and receive gardener vendor quotes to fix an issue - it was fully resolved by the time he returned.

The more access you grant, the more your assistant can do for you.

Giving them broad access to your digital life (from email to tools to key contacts) allows them to work more efficiently and connect dots you might miss.

2/ Establish Clear Guardrails

• Set decision-making thresholds: "Approve team expenses under $1,000 and client entertainment up to $250 per person without consulting me."
• Identify high-stakes decisions requiring your input: "Always get my approval for irreversible transactions over $10,000 or new partnership agreements."
• Create quick-reference SOPs: "For travel bookings: direct flights, aisle seats, hotels within 10 minutes of meeting venues."
• Establish clear 'green light' and 'red light' lists: "Always accept meetings with our top 10 clients. Never schedule meetings before 10 AM or on Fridays."
• Define comms protocols: "Text for urgent matters needing immediate attention. Use email for issues that can wait up to 24 hours."

Example: An Athena member (tech startup CEO) set clear financial thresholds for her assistant. For team-building activities, the assistant could approve up to $300 per person without consultation. This allowed the assistant to quickly organize a successful end-of-year social event — without needing constant approval from the CEO during a busy time when venues were filling quickly.

Clear boundaries and guidelines help your assistant make decisions confidently. By setting explicit rules and thresholds, you create a framework for autonomous action while maintaining control over critical areas.

3/ Default to Trust

• Empower decision-making: "If a client asks for a meeting, go ahead and schedule it based on my availability. No need to check with me first."
• Encourage initiative: "If you see an opportunity to improve a process, go ahead and implement it. Let me know what you changed in our weekly sync."
• Set a review cadence: "I'll review your decisions when I’m back. Unless I flag something, assume you're on the right track."

Example: An Athena member gave the green light to her assistant to prepare 70% of her monthly investor update.

The assistant:

1. Pulled key metrics (15% MoM user growth, $2.1M ARR)
2. Listed major events (New CTO hire, Series A closed)
3. Outlined product roadmap (Q4 launch of mobile app)

The Athena member then spent 20 minutes adding context and personal insights to turn the outline into a personalized message with more subtext.