Inclusive leadership
Practical resources to help you develop inclusive leadership and create supportive, respectful workplaces.
Delegation
Delegation is a core leadership skill, central to effective team-working, personal development, and preparing people for future roles. The resources on this page will help you reflect on your approach to delegation, offering practical advice, strategies, and tips for delegating successfully within your team.
Please note: the resources on this page focus on general workplace delegation skills and approaches applicable across many settings. They do not cover delegation under the Veterinary Surgeons Act or Schedule 3. For guidance on delegation to veterinary nursing staff within the legal framework, please refer to RCVS guidance on Schedule 3, the RCVS SUPERB checklist, and relevant case studies.
Videos
- Overview of the Situational Leadership model (3:30)
Introduces Hershey and Blanchard’s model, exploring how delegation can be adapted to different leadership styles and team needs.
- What is Situational Leadership? Getting the best from people, day-to-day (4:00)
Discusses how situational leadership can be applied in everyday practice to get the most from your team.
Articles
- To be a great leader, you have to learn how to delegate well (10 min) - Sostrine, J., Harvard Business Review (2017)
Explores the shift from doing to leading and outlines four strategies for effective delegation.
- 8 ways leaders delegate successfully (5 min) - Grayson-Riegel, D., Harvard Business Review (2019)
Examines common barriers to delegation and the importance of challenging assumptions to change behaviour.
- Master the art of effective delegation and gain 5–10 hours a week (5 min) - Comaford, C., Forbes (2016)
Looks at two practical processes to strengthen delegation and improve decision-making.
Other materials
- Delegation skills presentation (PDF) (read time varies)
An RCVS overview of delegation skills, including a five-step approach to effective delegation. - Delegating: authority, skills, tasks, and effective delegation (read time varies)
A BusinessBalls.com resource outlining key principles and approaches to delegation.
- Situational Leadership presentation (PDF) (read time varies)
An overview of Hersey and Blanchard’s Situational Leadership model and how it can be applied to delegation and team management.
Related Content
Quality improvement
Discover how Quality Improvement can help your veterinary team work smarter, deliver better care, and grow together.
Difficult conversations
Difficult conversations are part of leadership. Discover practical tools to handle them with clarity and confidence.
Team leadership and collaboration
Build stronger, more collaborative, more effective teams with our round-up of practical tools and strategies.