Clint Eastwood taught those villains, "A man must know his limitations."
Similarly, a man must understand he is at risk when he delegates beyond his limitations.
Yes, I known this also applies to women, however, Clint Eastwood didn't shoot women...at least I don't recall seeing him shoot women or instructing them on limitations.
OK - people, both women and men, must know their limitations and they must understand they should think about the risks before they delegate work that exceeds their capabilities.
So, one Master Rule is – Don’t delegate a task you cannot do yourself.
From time to time, leaders need to do the dirty jobs. [The jobs everyone can do but nobody enjoys doing.] If leaders choose to delegate all the dirty jobs then they will surely alienate some people….perhaps, most followers.
At the other end of the spectrum, leaders get into trouble when they delegate tasks that are beyond their capability. As examples - troubles follow when the time required for tasks is underestimated, when the complexity of tasks is underestimated, and when the resources required for tasks are underestimated. The best way to know the time, complexity, and resources of tasks is firsthand experience doing the tasks.
So, one Master Rule is – Don’t delegate a task you cannot do yourself.
…unless, of course, those tasks are software engineering!