If you’re a new manager or tech lead, chances are your plate feels way too full. You’re juggling technical tasks, team responsibilities, and everything in between, and it’s easy to feel like you’re drowning. 

I’ve seen managers nail delegation and suddenly get hours back in their day. I’ve also seen others make things messier and more stressful than before. 

“What’s the difference between these two types of leads? And how can I get to the second category?”, you may ask. 

The latter knows how to delegate effectively, which makes this process an easy ride. And that’s exactly what we will be going over in this article. 

We will see a pre, during and post-delegation process that will help you set up a system that takes off your plate while helping your team grow.

The Mental Barrier to Delegation

Every new manager or tech lead faces one common challenge: moving from a doer mindset to a delegator mindset. It’s a deep-seated psychological shift that is often the single biggest barrier to effective delegation.

You’ve likely been promoted because you were an excellent individual contributor. You knew how to execute, and you took pride in doing things right and fast. Now, you have to step back from the very skills that got you here, and that triggers something: 

• loss of control, 
• thinking you’re the only one who can do it or does it faster and better, 
• you don’t want to bother others, 
• or you think it’s all your responsibility. 

Delegation increases your productivity

It’s critical to recognise that your new job comes with a new set of non-negotiable tasks that demand your focus. Your core responsibilities have shifted from execution to strategy and people management. 

If you spend three hours writing a report that a team member could handle, you lose three hours you should have spent coaching, planning, or strategising.

Your value is no longer measured by your individual output. It’s tied to the collective output and capability of your team. And delegation is a huge part of increasing your team’s capability.

Step 1: Prepare to delegate

Identify the strengths of your team members

To delegate effectively, you must be a strategic matchmaker, aligning the task with the right person who has the right skills. Here’s how you can do it in two different settings. 

For established teams: If you’ve worked with your team, you likely already know their hidden talents. Pay attention to what tasks they enjoy and what they complete with unnecessary excellence. These are the areas where delegation will feel like a reward for both of you. 

For new teams: If your team is new or if you’ve never formally assessed their skills, create a short survey form. Ask questions about their favourite past projects, their professional development goals, and their competency level across different required technologies (e.g., Python, SQL, data visualisation).

Identify what to delegate and what not to 

Tasks that involve strategy, people, or accountability are yours alone. This includes creating the team vision, handling performance reviews, mentoring, managing confidential information, and resolving conflicts. 

Tasks that are routine, skill-building, or time-consuming are perfect for your team. This includes cleaning and preparing datasets, running initial analyses, writing test scripts, documenting code, or maintaining dashboards. Delegate the process, but keep the final oversight.

Step 2: How to delegate effectively and strategically 

Based on the above 2 points, you will now know what to delegate and to whom. Let’s explore how this process should go. 

Define the task

This is the make-or-break part of delegation. The clearer and more contextual your brief, the lower the chances of errors. 

• Clearly describe the expected deliverables and the timeline
• Explain why this task matters to the team, the company, or the client. 

When people understand the purpose, they take greater ownership and can make smart decisions without constant checking. 

But don’t stop at the “what” and “why.” Spell out the scope, constraints, and non-negotiables. If needed, share examples of what a strong final output looks like. If there are specific formats or tools to follow, surface them early. The more context you provide, the smoother the execution becomes and the fewer surprises you’ll face later.

“Tip: Consider the assignee’s workload, schedule and other deadlines before setting a timeline for your delegated task.”

Encourage communication, clarity and questions

Always conclude your briefing by explicitly inviting questions. Go beyond the generic “Any questions?” and try these specific prompts:

• Based on what I’ve outlined, what roadblocks do you anticipate?
• Before you get started, what part of this task feels the least clear to you right now?

You need to ensure the assignee has understood the brief right. Plus, there should be communication through updates and reports throughout the task. 

Follow along

Once you hand off a task, you need to stay in the loop. 

The smart way to handle this is to set up milestones and check-ins at different stages of the task. Break the project into small, defined stages and schedule mandatory progress updates.

For data folks, that could look like “Dataset finalised and validated,” “Initial queries complete,” and “First version of insights ready for review.” 

These check-ins do two things: they boost your team member’s productivity with internal deadlines, and they give you a quick, low-stress moment to offer feedback or fix mistakes early on.

Keep a buffer deadline 

When a task is important or going to higher-ups, set a buffer deadline. It gives you time to review the work, fix gaps, and avoid last-minute stress. And that’s the control you, as a new manager, need. 

Your right isn’t the only right

When you delegate, remember your way isn’t the only way to get things done. Let your team try their approach, make decisions, and experiment a little. You’ll often be surprised by the solutions they come up with. 

And even if they failed or their way isn’t efficient, you can always guide them. This ensures they learn, progress, and eventually reach a point where they can independently handle the task. A win-win for both of you.

Step 3: The non-negotiable after the task is done

These last steps will help you establish a system and workflow for stress-free delegation. This is how you will improve as a new manager/lead and take your team with you. 

Give and receive feedback 

Ask your team what you can do to make the process smoother, and be open to their feedback. Understanding their perspective helps you adjust expectations, clarify instructions, and create a workflow that works for everyone.

Offer constructive feedback to your team. Let them know their areas of improvement so next time it’s an easier journey for you too. 

Coach and train your team

Identify areas where they can improve and guide them through challenges. Offer coaching or training on weak points so they can handle similar tasks independently in the future. 

Take it a step further: How to delegate effectively

Delegation empowers your team. It increases your productivity by allowing you to focus on the tasks that are exclusively yours. Combine these two factors, and you excel as a lead or manager. 

However, there are more aspects to being a good lead/manager, especially when it’s your first time in this role. 

I have prepared an e-book for tech and data professionals who are stepping into leading and managerial roles or have recently taken that leap. The Foundations of Leadership for Nerds is packed with practical strategies, actionable frameworks, and insights that help new managers and leaders take command of their new role. 

Still confused? Book a 15-minute 1:1 consultation with me.