Top 20 Manager Development Options for Delegation

Before investing in delegation training, pinpoint why tasks keep returning to managers. Sometimes it’s force of habit; sometimes employees lack the necessary information, authority, or capacity to take ownership; and some workplace cultures reward personal control. Workshops can teach effective delegation methods, while coaching helps address ingrained habits that persist even with knowledge. However, broader organizational constraints often require separate decisions.

Our list covers twenty options, including delegation workshops from LifeLabs Learning and Cegos; coaching-skills programs from Blanchard, Performance Consultants, Coaching Out of the Box, AoEC, Henley, Roffey Park and CCL; broader curricula from DDI, Gallup, AMA, Manager Tools and The Management Center; Hone’s group coaching; and individual coaching from FranklinCovey, EZRA, BetterUp and New Level Work. For more details, see the parent guide on development options for first-time managers.

Key takeaways

• Torch is a leadership coaching and alignment platform combining manager coaching, optional Spark conversation rehearsal, separately scoped scored skills practice, 360 feedback and coaching for intact teams.
• LifeLabs Learning and Cegos deliver delegation workshops, while Hone offers group coaching to tackle delegation challenges.
• Blanchard, Performance Consultants, Coaching Out of the Box, AoEC, Henley, Roffey Park and CCL teach managers how to approach post-handoff conversations using coaching techniques.
• FranklinCovey, EZRA, BetterUp and New Level Work provide coaching for individual managers, while DDI, Gallup, AMA, Manager Tools and The Management Center incorporate delegation into their broader development programs.
• Issues like unclear authority, excessive workload, and incentives that favor control require organizational changes beyond what training or coaching alone can address.

Diagnose the ownership problem first

• Habit. A manager understands the delegation process but still reopens decisions or reworks tasks when under pressure. Individual or group coaching can help change this behavior.
• Skill. A manager hasn’t learned how to set clear outcomes, establish authority, define checkpoints, and provide support together. A delegation or coaching-skills course might be appropriate.
• Capability. The employee doesn’t have the necessary skills to complete the assignment. Focus on providing instruction and support to develop that employee’s capabilities.
• Structure. When authority, workload, or incentives fail to encourage ownership, sponsors must address these underlying conditions. Team coaching can help by clarifying decision rights and responsibilities.

When evaluating providers, present them with this scenario: a manager who consistently makes last-minute revisions to an employee’s work. Look for a solution that also considers the employee’s viewpoint. For additional resources, see our guides on coaching skills development options for people managers and manager development options for first-time managers.

1. Torch

Torch manager development connects leaders with coaches matched to their level and provides Spark rehearsal for delegation conversations. When team-wide issues arise, Dynamic Team Coaching offers a single shared coach for the manager and every team member.

Individual development and regular practice.

• Experienced ICF-credentialed coaches with at least five years of experience are selected from the appropriate tier to match each manager’s needs.
• Torch offers New Manager Essentials and High-Impact Middle Management programs, featuring coach-led groups of six to nine participants over three to six months.
• Participants engage in practice activities between their scheduled coaching sessions.

Delegation practice, measurement and team context.

• The skills-practice library from Praxis Labs by Torch uses scored scenarios and a four-level rubric; Spark provides unscored rehearsal. The critical talent page illustrates a delegation exchange. Agree the format and any custom criteria with the learning-design team.
• An opening 360 can assess delegation through client leadership capacities, with any reassessment using the same tool agreed in the engagement.
• When decision rights rather than individual habits are the challenge, team coaching can be incorporated into the solution.

Agree the sessions, custom scenarios and reporting for each engagement. The manager-as-coach track within Ignite remains a proposed configurable design rather than a released curriculum. When piloting delegation programs, gather feedback from employees who receive the delegated work.

BetterUp Manage also combines human coaching, AI practice, peer learning, team insights and facilitated team coaching. Torch’s concrete option for delegation that spans the team is Dynamic Team Coaching: one coach works with the manager and team members. For a manager who simply needs to learn a clear handoff, the focused delegation workshops are a direct alternative.

2. Blanchard

Blanchard’s Coaching Essentials helps managers foster employee thinking through dialogue instead of taking over every issue. This approach works well for companies wanting a standardized coaching methodology. Be sure to review the practice and feedback components, as understanding coaching terminology differs from applying it effectively when deadlines loom.

3. LifeLabs Learning

LifeLabs Learning’s delegation workshop concentrates on assignments, creating mutual understanding and holding progress discussions. It offers a straightforward solution for developing a specific skill. After the workshop, assign a genuine task and verify the employee grasps both the expected outcomes and their decision-making authority rather than depending solely on the manager’s confidence.

4. Hone

Hone’s group coaching on delegation challenges connects managers with peers and a facilitator when delegation attempts face challenges. This format addresses issues like manager discomfort when employees use different approaches. Check if you’re buying a single session on one topic or ongoing membership in a cohort.

5. FranklinCovey

FranklinCovey leadership coaching offers personalized support for managers and other leaders. It suits delegation patterns that need more attention than what a workshop can provide. When creating your brief, describe the specific behaviors and context rather than using personality labels. While coaching can help manage tension, organizational action is still needed for contradictory incentives.

6. New Level Work

New Level Work pairs manager coaching with group training. This allows for both shared terminology and individual exploration of application challenges. Determine the purchased mix and delegation content in each component, while avoiding duplicated introductory material.

7. DDI

DDI’s frontline leadership development integrates delegation with expectations, feedback and performance conversations. It’s designed for organizations building a consistent management framework. Verify the actual delegation content and coaching support available rather than assuming a catalog listing guarantees a specific module.

8. Performance Consultants

Performance Consultants’ coaching skills for managers employs Coaching for Performance principles to support employee thinking and accountability. Test its effectiveness after making an assignment: can the manager discuss a plan and uncertainties without taking back the task? Ask how the approach adapts when employees lack experience or authority.

9. Coaching Out of the Box

Coaching Out of the Box’s Impactful Conversations teaches a five-step coaching conversation process for managers and leaders. It includes deciding when to ask and when to tell, with live delivery options for organizations. That is useful when managers need to support a delegated task without taking it back. Ask how practice will address your actual handoffs, decision rights and follow-up conversations.

10. Academy of Executive Coaching

The Academy of Executive Coaching’s Coaching as a Line Manager provides modular development for accountable managers rather than independent coaches. Employees still need clarity on which decisions they own, when to consult, and what standards the manager has established. Confirm the delivery and assessment arrangements.

11. Henley Business School

Henley Business School’s Coaching Skills for Managers and Leaders merges online study, live practice and coach-mentoring. Feedback on actual conversations can help managers replace constant rewriting with agreed-upon standards and review points.

12. Roffey Park

Roffey Park’s Manager as Coach uses experiential learning and triads to practice directing, advising and coaching. Add realistic constraints to delegation cases, such as limited experience, competing deadlines or uncertain approvals. Continuing coaching requires separate scope.

13. Gallup

The Gallup Manager Program includes coaching and employee development in a broader management course. It fits delegation within a wider change to team support. Verify course content and practice rather than inferring a specific delegation module from the name.

14. Center for Creative Leadership

The Center for Creative Leadership’s Better Conversations Every Day uses coach-led small groups for listening, inquiry, challenge and next steps. It fits delegation problems rooted in conversation. A peer learning group is different from an intact team and cannot settle that team’s shared decision rights.

15. Cegos

Cegos’ Delegation Skills for Managers explicitly includes coaching-manager tools and mindset in a task-focused course. Check exercises for checkpoints, setbacks and expanding authority as capability grows. Confirm format and adaptation to the work involved.

16. American Management Association

AMA’s Management Skills for New Managers includes coaching and delegation practice within management foundations. It fits newly promoted managers also learning feedback, communication and performance expectations. It may be too broad for one persistent habit in an experienced manager. Choose a real assignment for application before attendance.

17. Manager Tools

Manager Tools’ Effective Manager Conference teaches rehearsable delegation and coaching routines. Confirm live practice versus recordings, since those formats offer different learning experiences. Test the method against the team’s actual constraints.

18. The Management Center

The Management Center’s Managing to Change the World covers delegation, check-ins and feedback with attention to workload and resources as well as managers’ willingness to release control. Select the appropriate edition and format, then plan reflection on workplace application.

19. BetterUp

BetterUp Manage combines expert coaching, AI practice, peer connection, team insights and facilitated team coaching. Evaluate a complete workflow: agree a goal, rehearse, attempt it at work and reflect. Establish information flows between components, keeping evidence for human coaching distinct from claims about AI practice.

20. EZRA

EZRA’s management coaching provides personalized individual support, including for new managers. It fits a specific delegation goal, such as reclaiming work when quality is uncertain or failing to define escalation boundaries. The work is coach-led; confirm whether the proposal includes a defined delegation curriculum.

Compare the 20 options

A delegation pilot built on real assignments

• Select a recurring approval loop. Define the outcome, employee authority, required information and appropriate escalation point.
• Observe manager and employee behavior. Monitor which decisions managers revisit, when feedback occurs, and whether people understand who owns each choice.
• Review before expanding. Cross-team authority needs a sponsor decision; resistance to other methods might call for coaching; missing employee skills need training.
• Price the components. Itemize training, coaching, team sessions, preparation and follow-up, including on-the-job practice time. Half-day workshops and intact-team sessions serve different purposes.

The comparison hub offers the broader enterprise-coaching comparison.

What the research says

A leadership-coaching study linked coaching with greater delegation and less close supervision among surveyed leaders and followers. Its cross-sectional design means it cannot prove cause and effect. Meanwhile, training-plus-coaching action research noted productivity improvements in a small public-sector sample. Neither study endorses any specific program mentioned here.