When any change is created in business, there are ripple effects that make their way from the top down through your business and the business of promoting new managers can be a key cause of this as the organisational structure within a team or department has changed. Everyone needs to learn the new flow of accountability, including the new manager

It is important for leaders to understand that even the simplest of tasks can create anxiety. Supporting new managers at this time is crucial as they will be at risk of:

• Imposter syndrome
• Transitioning to the new role without plan or forethought
• Team turmoil as the team adjust to the promotion of ‘one of their own’
• Being taken advantage of as they strive to maintain friendships within their team at the cost of their responsibility
• Managing a drop in team performance as the team lose one member and need to restructure or onboard another
• Hostility and or jealousy from the team
• struggling with delegating, and trying to continue to do what they were doing alongside taking on the extra responsibilities and meetings of a manager

The new manager will require your leadership to assist them and one of the key skills they will need help with is the ability to delegate.

Delegating can be tricky for new managers who find themselves going from being a team member, to managing their peers. This can create hostility, jealousy, and a testing of the new manager. A key area this can happen is in when the new manager needs to delegate work to their peers. What may happen is the team manager will procrastinate to the point where they continue doing their old job as well as their new… and neither well. The new manager will need guidance as to how to delegate effectively, and how to manage team dynamics with their new role to be truly successful. This blog is to do with delegation, as without the ability to delegate effectively the team risks falling into chaos and confusion, and this risk impacting overall performance for the organisation. The smaller you are, the greater the impact.

How to delegate

There are a number of things to consider when delegating. It is not simply a matter of random selection of staff, but carefully considering a number of factors on the part of both the delegator and delegatee:

• determining what to delegate and to whom
  • What is the task?
  • What level of expertise does it require?
  • What is its urgency?
  • Is this ongoing or one off?
    • Who is best placed to take this over
• delegating the task
  • ensure the person has capacity and are happy to do the work
    • overloading the delegatee is not going to win respect
      • some shuffling of responsibilities may happen if this person is unable to take on the work and needs to make room
    • if the person is not willing to take on the work, seek to understand why. A reluctant or overstretched staff member, or one who feels out of their depth, will not perform to the best of their ability
  • explain clearly what is required, by when, and what the expected outcomes are
    • unless asked don’t attempt to tell them ‘how’ to do the work.
      • This is where the new manager can often fall down, they expect the work to be done as they did it. They must learn to let go and let the person do it in their way. Unless the same results are not going to be achieved, the new manager needs to delegate and then step back.
  • check to ensure the delegatee understands what is asked of them and that the new manager is available to assist if required
  • check in if you are unable to see the work being done, when the delegatee said they would have completed the task. Resist checking in before unless you are asked for help. Use this as an opportunity to see if the delegatee had any issues, if they can think of another way to do it, that they are happy to continue doing it moving forward
• Recognition
  • Recognition and appreciation are key to creating a good team culture. Ensure this step isn’t overlooked, and you are laying solid positive foundations.

To sum up

Delegating is hardest to do from a psychological point of view. New managers will naturally turn to what they know they do well when they are faced with new tasks requiring new skills of them. Framing it so the new manager sees it as providing opportunities for peers to follow in their footsteps will help this, but do be prepared to check in regularly to ensure your new manager is continuing to delegate wisely and successfully. Speaking with them about their team and potential progression of members can be key after they have been in post for a few months as this encourages a managerial/leadership mindset.

If you have any questions about supporting new managers, please reach out to me at fiona@kanyin.co.uk

©Fiona Doney 2025