The Science of Letting Go
Panel 1: The Case for Letting Go
Welcome to The Science of Letting Go, a new conversation series hosted by Emily Morgan. In this series, Emily sits down with leading researchers and academics studying delegation to explore its impact on leadership—and the emotional dynamics behind letting go. Leading the first panel in our series, Emily is joined by Dr. Ashley Whillans, Dr. Mary Steffel and Dr. John Fulwider for a dynamic conversation on delegation.
What You'll Learn
- Why smart, capable leaders still struggle to let go
- The hidden psychological payoffs of delegation (yes, really!)
- What your relationship to time reveals about your leadership
- How to create trust without giving up control
Whether it’s time poverty, fear of losing control, or emotional friction around trust, the act of letting go triggers powerful internal resistance. Join us as we unpack the complexities of delegation and leave with strategies you can implement today to finally learn how to let go!
Meet the Speakers
Dr. John Fulwider
PhD, Leadership Coach
John Fulwider is a business coach who helps owners build freedom-generating companies that expand their strategic options—from scaling or exiting to increasing business value. His work focuses on mindset and skill development, especially strategic delegation and faster decision-making across people, strategy, execution, and cash to drive growth and owner-prioritized results.
Dr. Mary Steffel
Northeastern University, TEDx speaker
Mary Steffel is an associate professor of marketing at Northeastern University whose research explores the science of decision-making, particularly when and why people delegate. Her work shows that strategic delegation can reduce burnout, protect against regret, and free up mental bandwidth—helping leaders think more clearly and focus on what matters most.
Dr. Ashley Whillans
Harvard Business School, Author of Time Smart
Ashley Whillans is the Volpert Family Associate Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and a social psychologist whose research focuses on “time famine”—the feeling of never having enough time. Her work explores how valuing time, strategic delegation, and smart outsourcing can boost happiness and productivity, often with impacts comparable to significant income gains.
Resources:
Check out Mary's research delegation and decision making, her TEDx Talk, “How I Overcame Decision Paralysis,” or visit her website, marysteffel.com.
You can email her at m.steffel@northeastern.edu or find her on LinkedIn.
Resources:
Check out Ashley's research on Time Traps (at TED.com), her TED.com
video on Three Rules for Work Life Balance,
her book Time Smart: How to Reclaim
Time and Live a Happier Life.
You can email her at: awhillans@hbs.edu or connect on LinkedIn.