Workforces Are Shrinking — Delegation Is the Key to Survive
The Wall Street Journal recently reported that corporate workforces are shrinking — and many CEOs are thrilled about it.
This is the reality of the post-pandemic, AI-fueled workplace. Companies are pushing back against the quiet quitting and mass resignations of the past, demanding results even at the expense of retaining teams.
AI is at the center of this shift. It is said that AI can make software developers up to 90% more efficient. Employers see this as justification to cut staff by similar margins. But here’s the catch: that remaining 10% of work doesn’t go away — it gets pushed upward to managers.
And that’s why delegation is no longer just a management skill. It’s a survival skill.
Step One: Audit Your Calendar
Spend a full month tracking how you spend your time. Group every hour into categories: meetings, emails, client calls, project work, admin tasks. Then compare your time allocation against your core roles and responsibilities.
Most managers are shocked to discover that 40% of their time is spent on tasks outside their mission-critical responsibilities. That 40% is the fertile ground for delegation — to a team member, to a peer, or even to AI.
Step Two: Delegate with Precision
Delegation is not “dumping work.” It’s a deliberate handoff that develops people and sustains organizations. Here’s the simple framework we teach in the Esteemed MBA of Leadership & Management:
Frame the opportunity. Tell your direct report you have a task you’d like them to take on, and explain why they’re the ideal person for it (based on behaviors you’ve seen).
Define the task. Be specific: What exactly is the work? What form should it take (document, presentation, process)? What’s the deadline?
Set the standard. Describe what “A+ work” looks like for this task — not just “get it done,” but how success will be measured.
Offer support. Ask for their questions, and assure them you’re available as a resource while they learn.
That’s it. Delegation doesn’t need to be complicated — but it does need to be intentional.
The New Reality of Management
AI will make our work more efficient, but it will not eliminate the need for leadership. The managers who survive (and thrive) in this environment will be those who master the art of delegation: empowering their teams, building capacity, and focusing their own time on the mission-critical work only they can do.
Delegation isn’t just how we scale. In the age of AI, it’s how we survive.
