How to delegate work as a manager

Updated November 9, 2026

Delegate the outcome, not the steps. Choose the right task and person, explain the result you want, the deadline and the limits of their authority, then agree on check-in points instead of hovering. If someone else can do it almost as well as you, it should not be on your list.

What to do

1. List what only you can do. Go through your week. Anything recurring, anything a teammate could learn, and anything that would help someone grow is a candidate.
2. Match task and person. Pick someone with the skills, or someone who wants to learn them and has the time. Ask what they would drop to make room.
3. Brief the result. Say what done looks like, why it matters, the deadline, the budget, and what they can decide without asking you.
4. Agree on check-ins. Set one or two short updates, for example at the halfway point and the day before the deadline.
5. Coach, don't rescue. When they ask for help, ask what they would do first. Only step in if the deadline or the client is at real risk.
6. Give credit publicly. When it is done, name them in front of the team and to your own boss.

What to say

When you hand over a task, say:

I'd like you to own the monthly client report from now on. What matters is that the client sees the three numbers they care about by the 5th. How you build it is up to you. You can decide the layout and sources without checking with me. Let's do a quick check on the 2nd. What would help you get started?

Avoid

• Delegating only boring tasks while keeping all the interesting work.
• Handing over the task but not the authority to make decisions about it.
• Taking the work back at the first mistake, which teaches them to stop trying.

Questions