The Lost Art of Delegation: A Critical Management Skill
By Vicki L Baker, PhD
A Cautionary Vignette
It was the third late night in a row for Dr. Harris, a Vice President for Academic Affairs at a mid-sized university. Her office lights burned brightly while the rest of the building sat in darkness. Determined to “get it all done,” she stayed behind reviewing budget spreadsheets, drafting policies, editing departmental reports, and even formatting PowerPoint decks for the upcoming board meeting. By dawn, she had crossed off dozens of items on her to-do list—but the results told a different story. The institution’s new strategic initiative remained stalled because frontline faculty had no ownership in the process. Her unit’s staff felt invisible and undervalued, quietly disengaging from their work. And individually, Dr. Harris was exhausted, overwhelmed, and increasingly isolated. In trying to manage everything herself, she failed to manage anything effectively.
This vignette illustrates the consequences of poor delegation. At the institutional level, progress slows. At the unit level, trust erodes. At the individual level, both leader and team members suffer. Despite its importance, delegation has become a lost art—especially in higher education leadership, where leaders often rise through the faculty ranks without ever being trained in basic management skills.
Delegation as a Core Management Skill
At its simplest, delegation is the intentional transfer of responsibility for tasks or projects from a manager to their team members, while maintaining accountability for the outcome. Management is about the tactical, day-to-day execution of work, and delegation is central to that execution. No leader, no matter how skilled or hardworking, can possibly execute all tasks alone. This is particularly true for institutional leaders at the vice president, provost, or president level, where the scope of responsibility spans dozens of functions and hundreds of stakeholders.
Delegation is not abdication; it is a deliberate act of trust. Done well, it frees leaders to focus on strategy and vision, while empowering team members to build expertise, develop ownership, and contribute meaningfully to the organization’s success. Done poorly—or not at all—it breeds bottlenecks, burnout, and disengagement.
What Effective Delegation Looks Like
To appreciate delegation’s impact, consider a few scenarios that illustrate how it strengthens institutions, units, and individuals.
Scenario 1: Empowering Faculty Leads
A Dean facing the daunting task of revising the general education curriculum delegates key portions of the project to faculty leads from each division. She provides a clear charge, sets milestones, and remains available for guidance. Faculty not only feel included, but also take pride in shaping the curriculum. The outcome is stronger buy-in across departments and a smoother approval process.
Scenario 2: Developing Staff Expertise
An Associate Vice President for Enrollment identifies that her director of admissions has strong data analysis skills. Instead of hoarding all presentations for the board of trustees, she delegates the data reporting portion to him. He sharpens his presentation skills, gains visibility with senior leaders, and feels more invested in the institution’s goals. The AVP, in turn, frees time to strengthen external partnerships.
Scenario 3: Building Student Ownership
A Vice President for Student Affairs launches a new student wellness initiative. Rather than dictating the entire program, she delegates elements of design and implementation to a student advisory council. The students feel trusted, the program better reflects student needs, and the VP gains credibility as a collaborative leader.
In each case, the act of delegation fosters trust, builds ownership, and enhances institutional effectiveness. Delegation is not merely about efficiency; it is about cultivating a culture where people are empowered to contribute their best.
Why Delegation Has Become a Lost Art
If delegation is so valuable, why has it become rare? Several forces converge to make it difficult.
Cultural Expectations of Leaders: Many academic leaders, trained as faculty first, conflate leadership with personal productivity. They believe their credibility rests on doing it all themselves, rather than empowering others.
Fear of Losing Control: Leaders fear that if they hand off responsibility, the quality will suffer or the work will not be completed on time. Perfectionism and risk aversion often outweigh trust.
Time Pressure: Ironically, the busier leaders become, the less likely they are to delegate. It feels quicker to “just do it myself” rather than explain and monitor. Yet this short-term mindset perpetuates long-term overload.
Lack of Training: Few academic administrators receive management training, and delegation is rarely taught explicitly. Leaders stumble into their roles without the skills needed to manage teams effectively.
As a result, delegation is practiced less and less, leaving leaders stretched thin, institutions less nimble, and teams underdeveloped.
Steps for Improving Delegation
Delegation is not innate; it is a skill that can be practiced and improved. Leaders who want to reclaim this lost art can begin with the following steps:
Diagnose the Task
- Ask: Does this task require my unique expertise, or could someone else do it at 80% quality? If the latter, delegate.
- Prioritize delegating recurring, operational, or developmental tasks.
Match the Task to the Person
- Consider skills, interests, and developmental goals.
- Delegation should stretch people appropriately—challenging but achievable.
Clarify Expectations
- Define the outcome, not every step. Be clear about deadlines, boundaries, and measures of success.
- Provide access to needed resources.
Support Without Micromanaging
- Stay available for questions, but resist the urge to take over.
- Check progress at agreed-upon intervals rather than hovering.
Acknowledge and Learn
- Recognize contributions publicly.
- Debrief together: What went well? What could be improved? This reflection strengthens future delegation.
The Deeper Payoff of Delegation
When leaders delegate well, the benefits ripple outward:
For the Institution: More resilient systems, broader leadership capacity, and stronger alignment between strategy and execution.
For the Unit: A culture of trust, collaboration, and shared responsibility.
For the Individual: Growth in skills, confidence, and visibility.
Delegation also frees leaders to focus on what only they can do: setting vision, cultivating partnerships, and making strategic decisions. It shifts leadership from being a bottleneck to being a catalyst.
Reclaiming a Critical Skill
Delegation may feel like a lost art, but it is recoverable. Leaders must recognize that their role is not to be the busiest person in the room, but the one who enables others to flourish. The irony of leadership is that doing less—strategically—can accomplish more.
In the opening vignette, Dr. Harris’s failure to delegate left her exhausted and her institution stagnant. Imagine if she had shared responsibilities, trusted her team, and built ownership across her unit. The outcomes would have been very different: a stronger institution, a healthier leader, and a more engaged team.
The lost art of delegation is, in truth, the essence of effective management. It is not optional, nor is it a luxury. It is a critical skill that every decision-maker must cultivate. Without it, leadership collapses under its own weight. With it, leaders create capacity, foster trust, and ensure the long-term vitality of their institutions.
Vicki L. Baker, PhD is the E. Maynard Aris Endowed Professor in Economics and Management, associate dean of strategic partnerships and innovation, and chair of the economics and management department at Albion College. She is also a co-founder of Lead Mentor Develop, an academic career and professional development consulting group that helps businesses, nonprofits and higher education institutions in the areas of mentoring, faculty development and leadership.
