Learning to Delegate as a First-Time Manager

Tom, a client of mine, started our coaching session by placing his three-page to-do list on the table between us. As a new leader in the organization, he felt both excited about his role and overwhelmed by the responsibilities he was now expected to take on. As we began to review his long list of tasks, I asked, “Is there anyone you can hand a few of these responsibilities off to?”

Tom paused. “These are all tasks that only I can do,” he said. “I’m really good at them.”

As we continued the conversation, however, he revealed this wasn’t necessarily true. In reality, Tom was hesitant to delegate because he wanted his boss to feel confident that she had chosen the right leader. He believed that taking on every task himself was the best way to prove that.

I encounter this situation often when coaching new leaders, particularly people who are in their first few months of the job. While some of the pressures they put on themselves are rooted in real expectations, others are driven by their own perceptions of what leaders are “supposed to do.” My job is to break down those false perceptions and help them see the benefits of delegation.

If you’re a new leader who is struggling with this issue, here’s how to work through it.

Change your mindset.

Many people are promoted into management for doing their previous job well. This means, as an individual contributor, you may have been particularly strong at delivering results and completing the tasks on your to-do list. But once you’re promoted to a leadership role, you must accept that you can’t do everything on your own — nor should you. Though it may seem counterintuitive, the more senior you become in an organization, the less you’ll be involved in doing the day-to-day work. You’ll need to have a sense of what’s happening without directly contributing to every project.

This shift, from “doing” to “managing” can feel uncomfortable — especially if you’re used to getting recognition for carrying out tasks quickly and well. The reality is, your job has changed now, and how your performance is measured will change along with it.

As a manager, your success is not equal to being the best performer on your team. It’s determined by your ability to help your team grow, reach their goals, and contribute to the larger company vision. That involves helping them learn the tasks they’re working on, and when appropriate, creating opportunities for them to take on more visible or challenging work. If you resist this change, you’ll likely end up like Tom — overwhelmed and (unintentionally) holding onto opportunities that could be given to your team.

That’s why learning to delegate is so important. It can help you gain back valuable time and give your direct reports more chances to develop their skills. Delegating is all about loosening control and increasing accountability. Once you embrace this, you will become more comfortable doing it.

Determine what to delegate and who to delegate it to.

Once you accept that delegating is a part of your job, you can realistically think about what work to take on, what work to hand off, and who to hand it off to. Write out a comprehensive list of every task or project on your plate this month. Then, ask yourself the following questions to identify which items would be best to delegate:

What tasks or projects hamper my ability to work on the “high-level” projects that only I can carry out?

Be realistic with yourself about what “high-level” entails. Like Tom, you may initially be biased, believing that most tasks can only be done by you. To keep your biases in check, think through the responsibilities of your role. “High-level” projects are often the ones that contribute to your company’s longer-term strategic priorities and are less urgent than a day-to-day task. A few examples might include: creating development goals for your team members, setting quarterly benchmarks, or contributing to a cross-functional initiative as a representative of your department. This work requires your experience, input, and expertise as a leader, and is typically not appropriate to hand off to a more junior employee.

Once you’ve identified what work is “high level,” cross it off, and take a look at the rest of your list. The tasks or projects that are left are good candidates to delegate.

Which tasks or projects might be learning opportunities that can help my team develop?

Whether it’s a one-off request or more elaborate project, every item you hand off should do one of the following: contribute in some way to the “high-level” work you’re responsible for, help your direct reports gain visibility (internally or externally), or challenge your direct reports to learn and grow.

Ideally you can align a task or project with your team member’s strengths, goals, or career development plan, which will advance both the organization and the individual. For example, you may invite a team member who you consider to be a future people leader to head a brainstorming meeting on your behalf or present a pitch to your boss. By providing them with an opportunity like this, you’re giving them a chance to gain influence, build relationships, and contribute to an organizational initiative. In turn, these projects contribute to your team member’s engagement and retention.

Which pieces of a project might leverage someone else’s strengths?

If you feel uncomfortable handing off an entire project to someone else, consider what pieces of a projects might require skills that your team members are experienced in. You can identify these skills by observing people in action or asking questions during one-on-one conversations such as: “What kind of work makes you feel energized?”; “What do you consider your greatest strengths?”;“What makes you feel most accomplished?”

As an example, one of Tom’s projects involved engaging with customers and tracking customer conversations in a database. This work provided the organization with important institutional knowledge. By pulling a team member in to help enter information into the database, Tom was able to shift his focus to preparing for and following up with the customers, and his team member gained a learning opportunity. She was exposed to information about customer relationships that helped inform her work on this project, and on future projects as well.

In your own situation, remember that delegating parts of a project can not only help you understand where people shine, but also where they need to develop. For instance, you can test the waters by giving someone a stretch project that aligns with their core job responsibilities. From there, you can gauge their strengths and growth areas.

Clearly communicate the task or project to your team member, and clarify roles and next steps.

Now that you’ve got some ideas around what work you want to delegate and to whom, thoughtfully approach the team member to share your thinking. They need to know what you’re delegating, why they’re being asked to do it, and what you’re expecting of them. Here’s how to go about it.

Schedule a one-on-one meeting with the team member.

Typically, it’s best to schedule a meeting specifically focused on this topic to ensure you have enough time to discuss your expectations and answer any questions that come up. During your meeting, clearly explain what the project is, how it’s contributing to the goals of your team or organization, and why you’re asking this person to work on it. Think of the conversation as a chance to recognize your team member’s strengths and potential.

You may say something like, “I’m excited about asking you to lead this new initiative. It’s been a priority for the company this quarter because it contributes to our goal of making our product visible to a wider audience. One of your many strengths is bringing people together to create a shared vision, so I look forward to seeing what you’re able to do as the project lead.”

Give your team member time to process the information.

Next, follow up with a question like, “What are your thoughts on this project? What else would be helpful for me to share with you?” Then pause and let your team member have the floor. They may have some initial questions around the scope of the project or task, or wonder how it will fit into their current workload. As the manager, it’s your job to help them reprioritize their to-do list and ensure they have enough time on their plate to successfully do this work.

Be mindful not to characterize the work you’re delegating as “easy” or say, “It will only take a few hours.” Though you may feel tempted minimize to the effort required, you may unintentionally minimize your expectations by doing so.

Establish roles and a timeline.

Having clearly defined roles is often where I see clients get stuck. If you’re delegating a project, for example, you’ll likely want to give your team member a timeline of goals to reach and check in on them regularly to track their progress. At the same time, you don’t want your direct report to feel micromanaged. That’s why it’s helpful to define some guidelines upfront.

In this initial meeting, discuss a cadence for project check-ins that will work for you both. Explain that you will use the time to discuss project updates and help them troubleshoot challenges. Try to align on your preferred communication styles. For instance, perhaps you’d like short, weekly updates in an email, and longer updates once a month.

You should also discuss their scope of decision-making on the project — the choices that will require your consultation versus the ones they can feel empowered to make on their own. Remember: Your job is to set the goals and expectations. Your team member’s job is to determine the process around how to meet them.

Celebrate progress and provide feedback.

During your check-ins, give your team member feedback on the project or task you delegated, coach them, and provide them with any resources they may need to move forward (if possible). That said, if you have critical feedback, don’t immediately give it. It’s more useful to ask questions that will help your direct report develop their own understanding of what may need to be done differently. You can say, “What went well from your perspective? What didn’t go as well as hoped? What do we want to replicate (or not) next time?” Upon hearing their thoughts, follow up with, “It’s helpful to hear your thinking on this. Let me share with you what I see from where I am.”

Also use this time to recognize your team member’s efforts, as your encouragement may be just what they need to stay motivated. On longer projects, if a milestone is reached, celebrate their accomplishments by letting them know that you appreciate their work. Reiterate how their efforts are contributing to your team or larger organization. If the team member likes to be praised in public, you can even write a brief team or company-wide Slack message highlighting their work.

Review and reflect.

Once the project or task is completed, collaborate with your team members on a retrospective review to reflect on how the process went from their perspective. You can ask questions like, “What was this experience like for you?” “What did you learn from this?” and “Where did things get stuck?” Through these conversations, you may identify things you can do to support your team member better going forward and uncover new information about how to improve your delegation skills.

. . .

As Tom implemented these strategies with his team, he started to feel clearer about what he needed to focus on and how his team could help support his work, as well as the work of the his company.

In your own situation, be patient with the process. Learning how to delegate well takes time, but it’s worth it — because if you can’t replace yourself, you can’t move up as a leader. So, consider this an investment in your team and in yourself. Stick with it, and soon, delegating will become second nature.

Copyright 2024 Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation. Distributed by The New York Times Syndicate.

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