A common refrain we’ve heard from workers across industries is that strong, inspiring leaders no longer exist—good leadership is a lost art. A common reason for this is that many leaders are burnt out and spread too thin to handle all their tasks. A good question, then, is whether delegation is the key to revitalizing leadership. Many seem to agree with that assessment.
It can get repetitive hearing about the chaos of the economy and the many ways in which it has trickled into the workplace, but it is true—the workplace has devolved into becoming more scattered and fragmented than ever before. Ambitious leaders equipped with essential management skills can be a guiding force in reuniting the workforce, but this requires a change in mindset and approach.
Delegation as a leadership skill is highly underrated, as it’s an ability that goes beyond offloading work to other unqualified workers. In many ways, delegation is an invaluable tool as it puts an emphasis on unity and trust in the workforce, so we’re here to help leaders understand how to delegate tasks.
Delegation is a leadership skill that should not be ignored. (Image: Freepik)
Understanding the Link Between Delegation and Leadership: Leaders are Burnt Out
Recent findings from DDI’s Global Leadership Forecast 2025 have been very insightful in understanding the state of leadership and the role delegation has to play. The DDI’s delegation findings suggest that globally, over 71% of leaders have reported significantly higher stress since taking on their current roles. One in six leaders is experiencing burnout, which threatens their organization’s performance, retention, and workplace culture.
On-site leaders report higher stress levels, around 74%, than those who operate in a hybrid model (72%) or remotely (66%). Unfortunately, those who do not work in person full time report higher levels of burnout, so it’s likely that their roles take a toll on them faster than those who deal with high stress but operate in person.
Why Does Burnout Among Leaders Matter?
On a surface level, burnout is bad no matter who it’s affecting, whether we point at leaders or their employees. On a deeper level, the DDI findings showed that burnt-out leaders are 3.5 times more likely to quit and work on their well-being, and rapid change in leadership can be very dangerous to the functioning of an organization.
Burnt-out leaders who choose to stay aren’t much better off either. They are 34% less likely to rate their effectiveness above their peers, showing a mismatch in their performance assessments and a likelihood of missing out on opportunities for growth. These suffering leaders are also half as likely to be engaged in their roles compared to those who are not facing burnout. Disengaged leaders are a surefire recipe for disengaged teams.
Despite having other essential management skills, without effective delegation strategies, leadership suffers, and the organization suffers with them.
Why Is Delegation Important as a Leadership Skill?
Leaders are not facing burnout for a lack of anything better to do with their time—it is an obvious reflection of the times we live in and the number of decisions that fall to them. Most leaders are required to divide their time between multiple responsibilities. The multitude of tasks either means that they are delayed until leaders can get to them, or they are done in a rushed and unsatisfactory manner, where the results are far from ideal.
Leaders are decision-makers by design, but delegation is just as central to their leadership as their own performance on tasks. Those who can identify the right candidates to take on a responsibility can then divvy up the work into more manageable chunks and see to each task getting the attention it deserves.
The DDI delegation findings indicate that delegation could be one of the most effective skills in preventing burnout, yet a separate assessment of manager candidates showed only 19% had strong delegation abilities. The delegation skills statistics speak for themselves—leaders need to learn how to delegate tasks more effectively in order to avoid burnout and the many consequences that follow it.
Exploring Delegation Tips for Leaders: Leadership Burnout Prevention Starts Here
Good leaders are not those who take on all the work and all of the credit and single-handedly save the organization. Instead, good leaders view delegation as an empowering tool they can use to meaningfully contribute to the organization and its overall well-being. Not only does delegation help leaders get the work done, but it also acknowledges that other employees are valuable contributors to the organization.
Let’s understand how to delegate tasks effectively.
- Leaders need to know what tasks fall under their purview before they start delegating
- Delegation should be data-driven, and the task should be structured based on information from all levels of the organization
- Leaders need to identify and keep players within the workforce who will be able to take on tasks
- Creating teams around delegated tasks will make it easier to break down and complete
- Highlighting the specifics of the task and creating guidelines will eliminate any problems of overlaps and redundancies
- Determining how much autonomy comes with delegated tasks will ensure there is no confusion
- Leaders need to continue to remain in contact with teams working on delegated tasks regularly to check on progress
- Delegation as a leadership skill can only improve with feedback from employees and active changes towards making improvements
These steps are key to learning how to delegate tasks effectively, but we can break them down further.
1. Leaders Need to Know What Falls Under Their Purview
Most organizations operate with multiple leaders and managers. Leaders need to start by understanding their responsibilities and all the facets of the tasks so they can better understand what needs to be done.
2. Delegation Should be Data-Driven
In order to delegate correctly, leaders need to collect data from multiple sources across the organization, and this is not a one-person job. Surveys and reviews of the organization need to be conducted to understand the needs of the organization and the resources currently at the company’s disposal.
3. Leaders Need to Identify Key Players Within the Workforce
Delegation cannot begin without identifying who the work can be delegated to. Understanding the skills and capabilities of the existing workforce and determining which tasks can be shared with them is a key part of delegation as a leadership skill. Finding the right person for the job starts with understanding the people you are surrounded by.
4. Create Teams Around Delegated Tasks
Delegation does not mean that another manager should single-handedly take on the tasks that the leader can’t. With complex tasks, it is best to identify leaders who will handle the task and give them a team to work with to get it done. Provide them with the resources and support they need to get the job done.
5. Highlight the specifics of the Delegated Tasks
While working on delegation, leadership skills of decision-making also come into play. Not only do leaders need to identify the tasks and teams, but they also need to clearly outline the tasks that teams need to take up.
A poorly explained task will only leave multiple teams with overlapping roles, with no clear decision-makers in sight. Clearly define the task’s purpose, desired outcomes, and success criteria as well as the deadlines and priorities.
6. Determine How Much Autonomy Comes with Delegated Tasks
Not all delegated tasks are made equal. Some come with greater responsibilities that require some serious decision-making. Those who are delegated work should have clear insights into the extent of their authority and what decisions they need to leave to the leaders. This will eliminate confusion and delays later on.
7. Do Not Delegate and Forget About the Task: Set Checkpoints for Progress
Delegation as a leadership skill comes with some degree of supervision. Leaders need to continue to be aware of the progress made on different tasks and intervene where it’s necessary for them to move resources around for the teams. Leaders continue to remain the final authority on delegated tasks, so they need to monitor the progress on delegated work.
8. Reflect and Build on Both Delegation and Leadership Skills
When delegated tasks near completion, leaders should connect with the responsible teams to understand their experience of working on the task and what changes are needed next time. A faulty delegation process will never allow these essential management skills to grow.
To establish effective delegation strategies, leaders need to be willing to make changes and improvements to how they delegate work. Communication is another leadership skill that will grow as a result.
Delegation Tips for Leaders: How to Build This Essential Management Skill
The importance of delegation cannot be understated, and learning effective delegation strategies is in every leader’s best interest. If leaders want to take burnout prevention seriously, the steps mentioned above are a good start. We also have some final delegation tips for leaders.
- Be realistic about your own capacity—do not take on more than you can handle or downplay your abilities
- Be open-minded about the benefits of delegation and foster a culture of supporting workers at the organization equally
- Interact with your employees regularly and learn about their achievements and capabilities so you can pick who to delegate work to according to their skills
- Avoid micromanaging and interfering once you have delegated a task. Check in during the scheduled meeting, but allow your employees some independence
- Delegate fairly and avoid overburdening already busy workers with tasks. If your tasks take priority, allow them to extend deadlines on other existing responsibilities
- Be realistic about delegation deadlines, as the new leaders won’t be able to get unfamiliar tasks done successfully right away
- Recognize and reward successful task completion to reinforce engagement
- Maintain transparency around the importance of delegation and give employees the resources they need
- Ensure the leadership burnout prevention plan does not shift the burnout to other workers—check in on their well-being
Final Thoughts on Delegation, Leadership, and Burnout Prevention Strategies
There are many other ways to approach burnout prevention among the leadership, but delegation is a good place to start. Leaders who want to lead well need to learn how to trust their team and should work with them for the benefit of everyone involved. Delegation is not about assigning and forgetting about a task, but instead involves teamwork and unity in all things.
Delegation and leadership go hand in hand, and those who can master the former will make good progress in mastering the latter as well. It may be true that only 19% of rising leaders excel at delegation right now, but with some dedication, the numbers could soon grow.
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