When Hana was promoted to Country Head, she suddenly found herself responsible for ten estates, three mills, and one large refinery.
At first, she tried to do everything herself — every report, every meeting, every decision.
The result? She was exhausted, and her managers were waiting passively for her instructions.
She realized: “If I don’t learn to delegate, I will fail. But if I empower others, we all succeed.”
🌟 1. Choosing What to Delegate
One evening, Hana reviewed her workload. She circled tasks she alone must keep — strategic vision, board reporting, key safety accountability.
Then she marked tasks she could pass on — estate manuring schedules, mill maintenance planning, refinery stock audits.
She remembered a leadership principle: Delegate tasks that grow others while freeing you for higher-level leadership [1].
🔑 2. Matching the Task to the Right Person
At Ladang Semarak Estate, Hana saw a young assistant with strong initiative but little confidence. She gave him responsibility for the fertilizer program.
At the refinery, she chose her most meticulous supervisor to handle quality audits.
She knew: Delegation is not about dumping tasks. It’s about matching responsibility to skill and growth potential [2].
📢 3. Communicating the Vision
In every handover, Hana explained not just the task, but the why.
To the estate assistant:
"This isn’t just about manuring. Each tree you nourish increases yield, which feeds families and supports livelihoods. Your work is part of a bigger story."
Clear communication of outcomes, boundaries, and purpose is the heart of effective delegation [3].
⚙️ 4. Providing Resources and Support
She ensured the estate assistant had data from past yield records, enough labor force, and proper training.
She gave the refinery supervisor access to updated ISO manuals and audit software.
Hana knew that delegation without resources is abdication [4].
🕒 5. Setting Milestones and Checkpoints
Hana never vanished after delegating.
She set review dates: weekly updates from estates, monthly reports from the refinery, quarterly cross-audits.
This balance of trust with accountability kept people engaged without feeling micromanaged [5].
💡 6. Allowing Mistakes as Learning
The estate assistant once miscalculated fertilizer rates. Losses occurred.
Instead of punishment, Hana sat with him, analyzed the error, and told him:
"Failure is tuition. What matters is what you learn."
Leadership experts confirm that mistakes under supportive delegation become powerful development opportunities [6].
🌺 7. Recognizing and Growing Leaders
At year’s end, the assistant became confident, the refinery supervisor was promoted, and even the mandore felt more ownership.
Hana saw the ripple: delegation was not about reducing her workload.
It was about multiplying leaders.
🌴 The Transformation
The company thrived — yields improved, audits ran smoother, and morale rose.
At the annual gathering, Hana shared her reflection:
> “At first, I thought leadership was about how much I could do myself. Now I know — true leadership is about how many others I can help grow. Delegation is not losing control. It is gaining capacity.”
And the applause that followed wasn’t just for Hana. It was for the leaders she had built.
📚 References
[1] Drucker, P. (2006). The Effective Executive: The Definitive Guide to Getting the Right Things Done. HarperBusiness.
[2] Maxwell, J.C. (2011). The 5 Levels of Leadership. Center Street.
[3] Yukl, G. (2012). Leadership in Organizations (8th ed.). Pearson.
[4] Covey, S.R. (1989). The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Free Press.
[5] Blanchard, K. & Hersey, P. (1988). Management of Organizational Behavior: Utilizing Human Resources. Prentice Hall.
[6] Goleman, D. (2013). Primal Leadership: Unleashing the Power of Emotional Intelligence. Harvard Business Review Press.
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