Manager's Library Series
This collaborative series between Purdue University and The Ohio State University explores key areas essential to effective management, including human resource management, strategy, finance, decision-making, risk management, time management and others. Each article offers thought-provoking perspectives to help you navigate the challenges of running a successful farm or agribusiness.
Mastering delegation for better results
Trey Malone, Boehlje Chair of Managerial Economics and Associated Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, Purdue University
Jay Akridge, Trustee Chair, Teaching and Learning Excellence and Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, Purdue University
John Foltz, Professor Emeritus, The Ohio State University; and Dean Emeritus, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, and Professor Emeritus, Agricultural Economics, University of Idaho
Many managers struggle to delegate because they believe no one can do the job as well as they can. While that may be true — at least for certain activities and tasks — what we can accomplish as individuals is finite. And managers may be just a bit biased when it comes to the quality of their work.
As farm and agribusiness managers, it is worth remembering that management is the process of getting things done with and through people (your employees in this case) — and not doing everything yourself. And, if we are truly honest, with training, experience, and ingenuity, many employees can actually do a much better job at what they do than their managers. The hallmarks of a great manager are hiring good people, giving them the training and resources to accomplish their goals, and then letting them do their job.
Delegation separates overwhelmed managers from impactful leaders. Yet even seasoned professionals struggle with delegation. Why? Because it demands trust in the manager’s employees and the discipline to resist the urge to micromanage them or take on tasks they should be doing. Using insights from the academic management literature, we break down the essential components of delegation. As academics, we believe that grounding our perspective in research-backed leadership principles and decades of managerial experience can help move agribusinesses into even higher levels of performance.
Why Managers Struggle to Let Go
Most managers were promoted because they excelled at doing. They delivered. However, the transition from doer to leader requires a mindset shift. Managerial success is measured by how effectively a manager enables others to deliver. Still, many managers resist delegation for various reasons:
- It seems faster to do things themselves.
- Someone else will not meet their standards.
- They want to model commitment.
- They worry the task feels beneath them or their employee.
These barriers stem from a misunderstanding of the manager’s role. Management is not about being the best technician. It is about getting things done with and through others.
Douglas McGregor’s classic Theory X and Theory Y framework sheds light on why some managers struggle with delegation. McGregor argued that a manager’s underlying assumptions — often influenced by where employees fall on the hierarchy of needs — can profoundly shape their team’s behavior. These assumptions then become self-fulfilling prophecies that either empower or inhibit employee potential (McGregor, 1960).
McGregor’s theory suggests that managers operate between two extremes: authoritarian and participative (Figure 1). Authoritarian, or Theory X, managers believe employees are inherently lazy, avoid responsibility, and require constant supervision to be productive. Delegation under a Theory X framework becomes a reluctant transfer of duty rather than a strategic leadership act.
In contrast, participative Theory Y managers view employees as capable, self-motivated, and eager to take on responsibility. Leaders with this mindset are more likely to trust their team, provide them with meaningful work, and delegate tasks and ownership. This shift in perspective transforms delegation from a burden into a developmental tool, enabling organizational efficiency and individual growth.
Too often, managers delegate only the menial or repetitive tasks they do not want to do without considering how the nature of the work influences motivation. But when managers delegate meaningful responsibilities that allow employees to use a range of skills, understand the whole scope of a project, and see the impact of their work, they tap into the deeper motivational drivers that Theory Y champions.
Use the Eisenhower Matrix to decide what to delegate
Once managers recognize the need to delegate, they often ask, “What should I delegate?”
Overwhelmed managers may try to do everything themselves or delegate haphazardly. Both approaches can backfire. The Eisenhower Matrix (eisenhower.me/eisenhower-matrix), popularized by former U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, offers a simple but powerful tool to help managers make smarter decisions about how to allocate their time and team resources.
The matrix categorizes tasks in two dimensions: urgency and importance.
- Tasks that are both urgent and important, like crisis management or looming deadlines, should be handled by the manager directly. These are non-negotiable and time sensitive.
- Tasks that are important but not urgent, such as strategic planning, relationship building, or developing new systems, are ideal for delegation. These tasks promote long-term growth and improvement and can provide excellent employee development opportunities.
- Urgent but unimportant tasks, like responding to routine emails, coordinating logistics, or standard approvals, can often be delegated or automated. Managers who regularly find themselves bogged down in these activities may benefit from investing in systems or support staff to offload them. In fact, it is worth investigating whether some of these tasks can be delegated to an artificial intelligence (AI) agent.
- Tasks that are neither urgent nor important are prime candidates for elimination.
By using the Eisenhower Matrix as a delegation filter, managers can shift from reactive time management to intentional leadership. Delegating strategically frees up time to manage and creates meaningful work for others. Encouraging team members to take on important but not urgent tasks can empower them with more responsibility, help them develop key competencies, and increase their overall engagement.
Clarify the goal, then step back
Communicate expectations clearly but resist the urge to dictate how the work gets done. Effective delegation requires clarity. Provide your team with the information they need to understand to know what success looks like:
- What is the ultimate objective?
- What does success look like?
- What are the constraints (budget, deadlines, resources, etc.)?
Delegation can and should expand beyond operational necessity and become a tool for employee engagement and personal growth. When managers are intentional about what they delegate — and how they frame those tasks — they can elevate the work experience and its outcomes. This builds employee capability and strengthens the organizational culture through trust and empowerment.
Pick the right person, not just the most reliable
Sometimes, delegation does not work because we give the assignment to the wrong person. A manager’s job is to decide who has the time, ability, motivation, etc., to get something done. Giving an assignment to the wrong person or team can result in disappointment for the manager and the employees involved.
Note that this does not mean going back time after time to the same employee or the same team because they get things done (though that is tempting!). Good managers distribute opportunities broadly to keep the whole team engaged. Really good managers give stretch assignments to up-and-comers. Managers may take a risk with a less-experienced employee because they sense the employee is ready and can deliver. Making these kinds of assignments and then coaching the up-and-coming employee to successfully complete the task, is where managerial leadership and talent development intersect.
Situational leadership theory, developed by Hersey and Blanchard, suggests that effective delegation depends on matching the level of direction and support to an employee’s readiness. This model identifies four leadership styles:
- directing
- coaching
- supporting
- delegating
Each leadership style is suited to different combinations of employee competence and commitment (Hersey & Blanchard, 1077).
For example, a new employee learning a task for the first time may need a high-directive, low-supportive approach or “directing” leadership style where instructions are clear and closely monitored. As the employee gains confidence and experience, managers can shift to a “coaching” or “supporting” leadership style that uses encouragement while gradually reducing support.
Once an employee is competent and committed, the manager can move into the “delegating” leadership style, offering minimal guidance and full autonomy. This progression helps ensure employees are neither micromanaged nor left adrift, unlocking their full potential through a tailored leadership approach.
Set clear expectations, then trust the process
Once the goal is clear and the right person is chosen, communicate the rules of engagement:
- What are the deadlines?
- What resources are available?
- Who else needs to be involved?
Clear expectations are often not enough for even the best employees to succeed every time. Equipping employees to succeed requires removing friction. Consider the importance of support in successful task execution exemplified by Lean Six Sigma, which focuses on how organizations can minimize waste, reduce variation, and ensure consistent quality. At the heart of this approach is a deep commitment to structured training and documentation, especially when onboarding or developing employees.
Standard work documents communicate the best-known method to perform a task at a given time. These documents eliminate guesswork, reduce variability, and help ensure consistency and quality, across different employees or shifts. When tasks are delegated, standard work documents ensure that performance expectations are aligned and communicated.
Job instruction breakdowns divide tasks into teachable segments — what to do, how to do it, and why it is done this way. This method supports knowledge transfer. It is especially effective when a manager moves past the notion of training as a one-time orientation and emphasizes training as a process of continuous skill development. Delegation paired with instruction breakdowns ensures that even complex assignments are approachable for newer employees.
Process maps visually outline the steps, decisions, and flow of a task, helping employees see how their work connects to broader team or business objectives.
Collectively, these training tools can help create a culture of operational excellence. When managers invest in documenting and teaching their processes at a high level, delegation becomes less about relinquishing control and more about confidently empowering others to deliver high-quality outcomes.
Track progress without micromanaging
Some tasks are so simple and their timelines are so short that managers quickly know whether they are done right. In other cases, clear milestones and progress checks are needed along the way. The key is to catch problems early, allowing for timely course corrections.
Monitoring progress is not the same as hovering. Micromanagement erodes trust with employees, wastes managerial time, and leads to a lower quality outcome than allowing a carefully selected team with proper resources to do their job. When something goes off course, intervene constructively. Remember, clarity prevents micromanagement. Set expectations, then check in at intervals. Do not hover.
Celebrate completion and give credit publicly
When the work is done and goals are met, recognize contributions publicly and sincerely. Praise is a powerful motivator, especially when it is authentic and shared in front of leadership and/or the employee’s peers. Conversely, few things demoralize a team faster than a manager who takes credit for work they did not do. Usually, these managers lack confidence in their position or ability and do not understand the power of delegation. By being confident enough to highlight employee/team contributions to upper management, managers build trust, motivate their people, and set themselves up for another successful delegation.
Confident leaders share the spotlight. They elevate their team’s success, build a culture of trust, loyalty, and shared ownership. When employees know their efforts will be seen and celebrated, they are more likely to rise to the challenge again.
After major projects are completed, take time to reflect and ask important questions:
- What went well?
- What could have gone better?
- Were expectations and constraints clear?
- What can we do differently next time?
This step signals that employee growth matters. It also strengthens future delegation. Good managers know how to conduct a debriefing without making employees defensive. This is a time for coaching, to reinforce the things that went well, and discuss how it could have gone better — including how the manager could have done a better job of delegation. It takes confidence and trust to have an honest reflection/debrief session with an employee, but once that trust is established, a powerful step has been taken toward ensuring a delegated project goes even better next time.
Final thought: delegate to elevate
Effective management is not about managers finding ways to do more. Rather, effective managers enable more to be done. Delegation is how leaders scale, how organizations grow, and how people develop.
So next time your plate is full, don’t ask, “How can I get all this done?” Ask instead, “Who else can grow by taking this on?”
References
Hersey, P. and Blanchard, K. H. (1977). Management of Organizational Behavior: Utilizing Human Resources (3rd ed.) New Jersey/Prentice Hall.
McGregor, D. (1960). Theory X and theory Y. Organization Theory, 358(374), 5.
In partnership with Ohio State University Extension.
