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Delegation: The Skill Every New Manager Needs to Master

You have been promoted to manager, and now you are working longer hours, racing between tasks and wondering how you’re ever going to get everything done. Everyone seems to be looking to you for answers. The uncomfortable truth is that being constantly busy isn’t a sign that you’re managing well. It could be a sign that you’re not delegating enough.

One of the biggest challenges for a new manager is learning to let go. You may have been promoted because you were good at your job. You knew how things worked, you got things done and you could be relied upon. When you become a manager, it can feel natural to carry on doing the things you were good at, often on top of your new responsibility for managing the team.

If you continue doing everything yourself, you don’t have time to manage effectively. You fall behind on deadlines, which almost forces you to become reactive rather than proactive. Eventually you become the person everyone depends on, and you burn out.

Delegation isn’t about getting rid of work. It’s about getting work done through your team while developing their skills and giving yourself time to lead and fulfil your managerial duties.

Why delegate?

There are three good reasons to delegate.

1. To get the work done

There are only so many hours in your working day. If every task comes to you, you quickly become the bottleneck. Delegating appropriate tasks spreads the workload across the team and makes better use of everyone’s skills and capacity, so tasks and goals are achieved in a timely manner.

2. To develop people

Delegation gives employees opportunities to learn by doing. It builds:

Development requires opportunity. Someone who has never been given responsibility cannot be expected to suddenly have it.

3. To create time to manage

Your role has changed. You are no longer responsible only for your own output; you are now responsible for helping your team succeed. That means you need time to:

If you’re spending all your time doing tasks that someone else could do, when are you actually managing?

Manager and team member discussing a delegated task with a clipboard

Which tasks should you delegate?

Not every task is suitable to be delegated. A useful starting point is to look at your workload and divide tasks into three categories. (If you haven’t tried it, the Eisenhower Matrix is a helpful way to sort your workload first.)

Delegate

Tasks that someone in your team can do, perhaps even better than you, or could learn to do with the right support. For example:

Think beyond simply asking “Who has time?” Ask “Who could I develop by delegating this task?” That changes delegation from workload distribution into development.

Keep for now

Some tasks may be suitable for delegation in the future, but the employee isn’t ready yet. Perhaps they need more knowledge, experience or confidence. That doesn’t mean you have to keep the task forever. You could delegate part of it, involve them in the process or work alongside them initially. Delegation can be gradual.

Don’t delegate

Some responsibilities should normally remain with you as the manager. These might include:

There may also be situations where you are the only person with the necessary information, authority or accountability. Delegation doesn’t mean abandoning your responsibility as a manager.

How to delegate effectively

This is where many new managers get it wrong. Delegation isn’t saying “Can you do this for me?” and then disappearing. Good delegation starts with clarity.

1. Explain what needs to be achieved

Be clear about the outcome you want. Don’t assume the other person knows what you’re thinking. Explain what needs to be done, why it matters and what a successful outcome looks like.

2. Choose the right person

Think about everyone in the team in terms of their skills, experience, confidence, current workload, development needs and desire to learn. Don’t always give the task to the person who can do it fastest. Sometimes the better question is “Who needs the experience?” or “Who would enjoy doing this task, and do it well?”

3. Give them the authority they need

If you give someone responsibility but don’t give them the ability to make decisions, you haven’t really delegated. Be clear about what they can decide themselves and what needs to come back to you. For example: “You can make a decision up to £500. Anything above that, bring it back to me.” Clarity prevents unnecessary escalation.

4. Agree the deadline

“When can you get this done?” is often better than simply imposing a deadline, though have in mind when you want it done by. It gives the employee an opportunity to consider their existing workload and commit to a realistic timescale. Of course, there will be situations where the deadline is fixed. Either way, make it explicit.

5. Provide the support they need

Delegation doesn’t mean “You’re on your own.” Tell them where they can find information, who they can speak to and when you’re available if they need guidance. Then agree when you’ll check in. Support them without taking the task back.

6. Let them do it their way

This can be one of the hardest things for a new manager. The fact that someone doesn’t do something exactly as you would doesn’t necessarily mean they’re doing it incorrectly. Distinguish between different and wrong. If the outcome is achieved, the quality is right and the approach is appropriate, let people develop their own way of working. Otherwise, delegation simply becomes instructions followed by close supervision, and that is not development.

7. Follow up

Delegation isn’t finished when you’ve handed over the task. Check progress at agreed points and ask: “How is it going?” “What have you learned?” “Is there anything you need from me?” When the task is complete, ask the employee to reflect on their own performance and give constructive feedback. Recognise what went well and discuss what could be done differently next time.

Manager giving a thumbs up to an employee for completed work

When to delegate

A simple rule: if someone else can do it, and doing it will help them develop, consider delegating it. Don’t wait until you’re completely overwhelmed. Delegation works best when it is planned, rather than something you do because you’re drowning in work. Look particularly for tasks that:

The delegation trap: “It’s quicker if I do it myself”

This is one of the biggest traps for new managers. It probably will be quicker the first time, but think about the longer-term cost. If you always do the task yourself, the employee doesn’t learn and you carry an unnecessary workload, creating the feeling of being on a relentless hamster wheel. That is also a fast route to stress and burnout, something we explore in Is managing stress a leadership function? Spending a little more time explaining something today could save you considerable time in the future.

Delegation is an investment, not abdication

There is another trap at the opposite end of the scale: a manager delegates a task and then completely disappears. That’s not effective delegation either. Your team needs to know that you’re there to support them without taking over. Delegation is:

Clear expectations + appropriate authority + support + accountability.

Give people ownership, but don’t leave them without direction.

Delegation checklist

Before handing over a task, ask yourself:

Afterwards, give feedback: what went well, and what could be improved?

Being a good manager doesn’t mean having all the answers

It means creating the conditions for your team to succeed. That includes giving people responsibility, trusting them to do the job, supporting them when they need it and helping them learn from the experience.

The next time you’re about to say “I’ll just do it myself,” stop and ask: “Could this be an opportunity for someone else to learn, and an opportunity for me to lead?” The best managers don’t create teams that depend on them for everything. They develop people who can take responsibility, solve problems and get things done.

As John Maxwell once said, “If you want to do a few small things right, do them yourself. If you want to do great things and make a big impact, learn to delegate.”

How Green Key can help

Delegation is one of the core skills we cover in our management development training for new and first-line managers, team leaders and supervisors. Training is practical, tailored to your organisation and delivered in person across Oxfordshire, the Thames Valley and London, or online across the UK. Book an exploratory call to talk about your new managers.

Frequently asked questions

Why do new managers find it hard to delegate?

Many new managers were promoted because they were good at the job, so it feels natural to keep doing it, and it often seems quicker to do a task yourself. But doing everything leaves no time to manage, makes you the bottleneck and can lead to burnout.

What should a manager not delegate?

Keep responsibilities that need your authority or are sensitive: confidential management matters, disciplinary or formal performance processes, decisions that are specifically a managerial responsibility, highly sensitive employee issues, strategic decisions, and high-risk tasks where the employee doesn’t yet have the right expertise or authority.

How do you delegate effectively?

Explain the outcome you want and why it matters, choose the right person, give them the authority they need, agree a deadline, provide support, let them do it their way, and follow up with feedback. Good delegation combines clear expectations, appropriate authority, support and accountability.

What is the difference between delegation and abdication?

Delegation means handing over a task with clear expectations, authority and support, and checking in at agreed points. Abdication is handing over a task and disappearing. Your team needs ownership, but not to be left without direction.

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