It can be a common misconception that a manager who delegates tasks to subordinates will somehow find their authority diminished, as instead of being directly responsible for the creation of all the work produced, they have 'let it go' and handed it over to other members of their team.

However in actual fact the manager has even more authority by doing this. Although they may not be producing the work themselves, the manager is still in charge of the process and needs to provide guidance and direction to their workers so that they produce work which fulfils the required purpose. It will depend upon exactly which definition of authority a person has and what it means to them, but there is a strong argument that being responsible for a number of employees brings with it more authority that being in charge of yourself producing all the work.

This transition between being responsible for yourself and having responsibility and authority over a team of others is one of the most significant hurdles for a new manager to overcome, and is why management training courses such as the First Line Manager course is so popular. Even experienced and senior managers sometimes struggle with the art of delegation which ultimately holds back the business from achieving its goals. The rise of business coaching and executive coaching is in direct response to this problem and aims to assist in breaking down the barriers which stand in the way of goal achievement.