Most new managers do one of two things when they first get to delegate: they either don’t do it at all, trying to do everything themselves — or they delegate badly, by handing off work and then hovering over the person doing it.
Both patterns are understandable. Both are also wrong.
The manager who never delegates burns out within six months. The manager who hovers kills their team’s motivation and learns nothing from the experience.
Good delegation is a skill. Here is how to build it.
Why Delegation Is Harder Than It Sounds
Delegation feels risky because you are handing off something you are responsible for to someone else. If it goes wrong, you still own the failure. That feeling doesn’t go away — you just get better at managing it.
The trap is thinking that doing it yourself is safer. It isn’t. Doing it yourself means you are the bottleneck for everything, which means nothing moves fast, and which means you are the constraint on your own team’s output.
Good delegation is not about finding someone else to do your work. It is about multiplying what your team can accomplish by making the best use of everyone’s time and skills — including your own.
The Four Types of Delegation
Not everything should be delegated the same way. There are four types:
**1. Delegate fully, with outcomes defined**
Best for: tasks that are well-scoped and repeatable.
Give the person the what and the why, set the deadline, and let them execute. Do not check in mid-process unless they ask.
**2. Delegate with a recommended approach**
Best for: tasks where you have specific experience that matters.
State your recommended approach, but make it clear this is your experience, not a mandate. “I’ve found X approach works well for this — but if you have a better idea, I’m open to it.”
**3. Collaborate on it**
Best for: complex or ambiguous work.
You and the other person work through it together. No hierarchy, just two people solving a problem.
**4. Do it yourself**
Best for: sensitive situations, high-stakes decisions, or work that requires your specific authority or context.
Know when not to delegate. Some things only you can do, and pretending otherwise wastes everyone’s time.
What to Delegate (And What Not To)
**Delegate:** Tasks that develop others, repeatable tasks with clear scope, work that someone else can do 80% as well as you.
**Do not delegate:** Hiring decisions, performance feedback, work that requires your specific relationships or context, anything where a mistake would be costly and irreversible.
The test for delegation worthiness: if the person can learn something by doing it, delegate it. If they already know how to do it and it’s just effort, delegate it. If the stakes are too high for learning, handle it yourself.
The Conversation That Makes Delegation Work
Before you hand something off, have a clear conversation:
– **What does success look like?** Be specific. “A draft report by Friday” is clearer than “something polished.”
– **What context do they need?** Background, constraints, who else is involved.
– **When should they check in?** Set a check-in point, especially for longer or more complex work.
– **What decisions can they make on their own?** Empower them to make calls without coming back to you.
After the Work Comes Back
Review it, but do not rewrite it. Give feedback on what worked and what doesn’t — clear, specific, focused on the work, not the person.
If it was mostly right, say that too. Positive feedback on delegation done well is what makes people want to take on more.
The Office Email Templates Bundle includes delegation planning templates, team communication templates, and the management conversations that help you build a team that functions without constant oversight. Get the Office Email Templates Bundle