The ability to delegate effectively is one of the most critical skills for an engineering manager to master. It’s the bridge between being a productive individual contributor and a successful leader who drives team outcomes.

In this article, I will talk about my transition from an individual contributor to a manager, and how learning to delegate, became an essential skill in my manager journey.

The mindset shift from IC to Management

When you are an individual contributor (IC), you are the one responsible for delivering the work. You are the one who writes the code, designs the architecture, and solves the problems.

While external factors like external dependencies, scope changes, or team dynamics can influence your ability to deliver, in the end, you are still the one in control of the outcomes of your work.

When you become a manager, this dynamic drastically changes. You are no longer in control of the final output. Your team is. Your job shifts from a builder to a leader, a facilitator and a force multiplier, responsible for removing roadblocks, managing expectations, and ensuring your team has all the resources they need to succeed.

Of course your actions as a manager will influence the ability of your team to deliver. But you are no longer the one doing the final work. The success or failure is no longer entirely in your hands, yet you remain the one ultimately accountable for that outcome.

This mindset shift can be challenging and mentally draining, especially if you value autonomy and have a builder mindset. There will be times where you will think: If I was the one doing this, it would be done in 2 days instead of one week. Been there, done that!

The temptation to jump in can be strong, but you must resist it. It’s a pathway to burnout and frustration and will severely hinder your team’s ability to learn and grow.

The Path to effective delegation

Value your time

As an engineering manager, your time is one of your most critical and finite resources. Strategic thinking, team direction, and stakeholder alignment require significantly bandwidth. If you spend too much time on technical tasks that can be delegated, you risk neglecting the mission-critical strategic responsibilities that only you can perform.

Ask yourself: “What impact can only I make?” Focus on these areas, such as growing your team’s capabilities, coaching high-potential contributors, or driving initiatives that align with company objectives. By doing this, you amplify the effectiveness of the team as a whole rather than just being an additional pair of hands for execution. This shift requires constantly telling yourself, “If someone else can do this task 70% as well as I would, then it should be delegated.” Be willing to let go of control and trust your team to make decisions.

Cultivate a culture of trust

Delegation fails in the absence of trust. As a manager, consciously cultivating a culture where team members feel trusted and empowered to make decisions is essential. When your team knows you believe in their capabilities, they are more likely to rise to the challenge, take ownership, and deliver high-quality work.

Trust doesn’t mean turning a blind eye. Instead, it means providing clarity on goals and expectations, ensuring team members have the resources they need, and letting them take the reins without micromanagement. It’s about switching from “I need to control every step” to “I trust you to find the right path to success.” Importantly, trust is a two-way street: as you trust your team, they will start to trust you to have their back, especially when challenges arise. This creates a collaborative environment where everyone feels valued and invested in shared success.

Remove yourself from the critical path

Should a manager code? If you like to code, it can be incrediblity difficult to be on the sidelines without getting your hands dirty.

I think, it´s fine for a manager to code. There can even be some advantages of a more hands-on approach, like having a better understanding of the codebase and the technical challenges or blockers your team faces in their daily work. This knwoledge, could lead to better decisions like prioritizing tasks to tackle important technical debt.

But you should remove yourself from the critical path, meaning do not work on tasks that are critical to the success of the project or that have strict deadlines.

Your time to code as a manager will always be limited and unpredictable and it´s not your priority. Management is. You don’t want to be in a situation where your team are waiting for you to finish your tasks before they can move forward.

Instead, focus on the low hanging fruit. Tasks that are not critical nor high priority for the business, but that can still have a positive impact in the project stability or in your team’s daily work. For example, fix some flaky tests that are slowing down your projects CI pipeline. Optimize some slow SQL query that it’s putting pressure on Database server. Improve the local environment setup. Build some script or tool that can automate repetitive tasks.

Quality of Life tasks that you can complete on your own time, without impacting your team’s progress.

How To Delegate Effectively

Delegation isn’t about offloading work. it’s about empowering your team and creating a structure for success.

  • Set clear expectations: Ensure that the delegated task has well-defined objectives, deliverables, and deadlines. Ambiguity can lead to misaligned outcomes.
  • Provide the right level of support: Equip your team members with resources, knowledge, and context, but avoid micromanaging. Let them own the process while knowing you’re available if they need guidance.
  • Match tasks with skills: Align the right people with the right tasks. Leverage your team’s strengths while also giving opportunities for growth where appropriate.
  • Follow up without hovering: Regularly check progress without micromanaging. Use these check-ins as coaching opportunities rather than status updates.
  • Celebrate successes and learn from failures: Acknowledge good work and use setbacks as learning moments. This builds confidence and a continuous improvement mindset across your team.

Effective delegation ensures you’re not a bottleneck while helping your team reach its full potential. It’s not just good management practice. it’s essential to the long-term success of both the team and the manager.

Conclusion

Being able to delegate effectively is one of the most critical skills for an engineering manager. It’s an essential skill to be able to scale an engineering team output without becoming a bottleneck.

By empowering your team members, you not only free up your time but also foster a culture of ownership and responsibility. This approach not only enhances individual growth but also strengthens the team’s resilience and adaptability, leading to better outcomes.