Online and face to face training, coaching and events across the UK and Europe

Module 2

Setting Expectations & Delegating

Set clear expectations and delegate with confidence, freeing up your time while developing your team’s capability.

Being good at your job does not make your first leadership conversations easy. Suddenly you are setting expectations, delegating to former peers and finding time to support others as well as deliver your own work. We understand that shift. You do not need every answer before you start — you need a supportive place to build the foundations.

Managers collaborating in a leadership workshop
Thrive Training Lab

Explore. Practise. Make it yours.

Duration

2-hour live online module (or part of the 1- or 2-day face-to-face programme)

Group size

Maximum 5 delegates

Format

Live online

Price — Online

From £550

+ VAT

where understanding becomes useful —

Why this course matters

New leaders often try to do everything themselves, leaving limited time to lead and fewer opportunities for their teams to develop.

What you’ll explore in the Lab

This two-hour online module helps newly promoted managers, leaders who struggle to let go and team leaders with growing teams establish clear expectations from day one and make sound decisions about what, when and how to delegate.

Delegates explore how to match tasks to people, agree the right level of support and check progress without micromanaging. The focus is on building practical habits that support team ownership, protect management time and make it easier to follow up without taking the task back.

a real challenge. a purposeful response.

The challenges this addresses

  • Tasks passed on without shared understanding
  • Leaders checking activity instead of agreeing outcomes
  • Delegated work mismatched to individual readiness or available support
  • Follow-up conversations leading managers to take tasks back

What this can change at work

New leaders need a way to hand over work without losing clarity or taking it straight back. Practising expectations, delegation choices and proportionate support helps managers focus on the outcome rather than monitor every activity. Team members can understand their responsibilities and the help available, while the organisation supports a more sustainable shift from individual contributor to leader through clearer briefings and more purposeful follow-up.

Outcomes agreed first

Managers explain the expected outcome and check shared understanding before handing over a task or beginning to review its progress.

Support agreed upfront

Delegation conversations consider who is ready for the work and agree an appropriate level of support before the task begins.

Follow-up without reclaiming

Managers review progress against expectations and discuss support needs without automatically taking the delegated task back into their own workload.

why this module matters —

Most new managers either do everything themselves or hand work over without clarity. Both lead to stress, missed deadlines and frustrated teams. Clear expectations and confident delegation free up your time and grow your people.

Sound familiar?

You're working late every night because it's 'quicker to do it yourself', while a capable team member tells you they're bored and want more responsibility.

inside the session —

What we'll cover

  1. 1

    What good looks like

    How to set expectations that are clear, specific and agreed, so everyone knows what success means.

  2. 2

    Why we don't delegate

    Unpacking the beliefs that stop new leaders letting go, and what they cost the team.

  3. 3

    Choosing what to delegate

    A simple framework for deciding what to hand over, to whom and with what level of support.

  4. 4

    The delegation conversation

    Practising a structured delegation conversation with real tasks from your own role.

  5. 5

    Follow-up without micromanaging

    Agreeing check-ins and accountability that support people without taking the work back.

Tools you'll take away

  • Expectations-setting template
  • Delegation decision matrix
  • Delegation conversation planner
  • Check-in rhythm guide

before the next module —

Put it into practice

Delegate one meaningful task this week using the planner, and review how it went in Module 3.

Inside the workshop

Working in a small group of up to five, delegates move from setting expectations to choosing suitable tasks and people, then planning support and follow-up. Breakouts, peer-to-peer learning and live practice give them space to rehearse delegation conversations and challenge the ‘I’ll just do it myself’ habit, leaving with a practical approach to delegating clearly and checking progress without taking over.

Make Setting Expectations & Delegating relevant to your business

Tell us where you want to make progress with clear expectations from day one. We can discuss suitable workplace examples, priorities and access needs before agreeing the scope. This course is delivered live online for people in the UK and Europe, with timings agreed around participants.

Discuss this course

What the training covers

The scope below sets out the subjects covered. Workplace examples and practice are shaped around your team within the booked format.

  • Clear expectations from day one
  • What, when and how to delegate
  • Matching tasks to people
  • Checking in without micromanaging
  • Avoiding the 'I'll just do it myself' trap

What’s included in your booking

Your booked time and format
2-hour live online module (or part of the 1- or 2-day face-to-face programme) · Live online · Maximum 5 delegates.
Included in every course
  • Interactive, facilitator-led learningLive, hands-on sessions built around practice and participation.
  • Group discussionsShared conversations about real situations, so people learn from each other as well as the facilitator.
  • Breakout exercisesSmall-group practice, role-play and problem-solving, online or in the room.
  • Take-away materialsCourse materials, tools and templates to use back at work.
Facilitated learning and practical application
The subject coverage, exercises and facilitator feedback described above, with space to connect the learning to relevant workplace situations. The workshop description sets out the specific plans, prompts or tools developed in this course.

Follow-up coaching, refresher sessions and additional delivery days are not automatic inclusions; any additions are agreed in your proposal. Travel, venue arrangements and any software licences are confirmed separately where relevant. Prices exclude VAT.

Outcomes

The capabilities delegates work towards through the training and practice:

  • Set clear expectations for your team
  • Decide what to delegate and to whom
  • Delegate with the right level of support
  • Follow up without taking the task back

the next conversation is where it counts —

Take it back to work.

Choose a real situation where you want to apply the learning. Use it to turn an outcome into a manageable first step, then reflect on what changes.

Choose

Start with one priority: Set clear expectations for your team.

Apply

Try the approach in a relevant task or conversation. Note what felt useful and what you would adapt.

Review

Reflect on what happened, seek feedback where appropriate and choose your next step. Follow-up support can be discussed separately.

Bring this topic to your next event

We can discuss adapting Setting Expectations & Delegating into a keynote or large-group session, focusing on the themes most relevant to your audience. Depth, activities, timings and any follow-up depend on the format and package you choose; an event session is not a substitute for the full course.

Explore Speaking & Events

More from New Leader Lab

Emerging Leader Academy

Help tomorrow's leaders find their voice, build confidence and develop the people skills they need before stepping into management.

5 live online sessions or 1 full day · 9:30am–5pmMaximum 5 delegates

Course synopsis

Potential needs preparation when someone is getting ready to lead people for the first time. Leadership potential deserves attention before the promotion arrives. Emerging Leader Academy is designed for people growing towards their first leadership role, taking on project responsibility or beginning to support colleagues. Across five live online sessions or one full-day workshop, participants explore their strengths, build self-awareness and practise the communication, judgement and ownership that leadership asks of them. This is a development pathway for emerging talent, distinct from the New Leaders Programme's day-to-day management essentials. With a maximum of five participants, everyone has space to contribute, practise and receive personal feedback.

Key focus areas

  • Know yourself: strengths, values and leadership self-awareness
  • Find your voice: clear communication, listening and confidence
  • Work with others: collaboration, influence and constructive feedback
  • Take ownership: priorities, decisions and accountability
  • Plan your next step: growth mindset and a personal leadership development plan

Outcomes — you'll be able to

  • Recognise your strengths and leadership development priorities
  • Communicate and influence with greater confidence
  • Practise collaboration and constructive feedback
  • Take ownership of decisions and commitments
  • Build a development plan for your next leadership step

Included in every course

  • Interactive, facilitator-led learning
  • Group discussions
  • Breakout exercises
  • Take-away materials

Face to face

Price on request+ VAT

Course details
Module 1

From Peer to Leader

Step confidently from colleague to leader, establish clear boundaries and build credibility with the team you now manage.

2-hour live online module (or part of the 1- or 2-day face-to-face programme)Maximum 5 delegates

Course synopsis

Leading former colleagues changes the relationships, responsibilities and expectations that shape your working day, making the transition as much about judgement as authority. This two-hour online module helps newly promoted managers, team leaders in their first year and high-potential staff preparing for promotion understand what leadership requires and how to approach it with confidence. Delegates explore how to manage former peers and friends, set appropriate boundaries and develop a leadership style that supports their new responsibilities. The focus is on building credibility early, navigating changing relationships thoughtfully and creating a practical first-90-days plan to guide their transition into leadership.

Key focus areas

  • Your new role and responsibilities
  • Managing former peers and friends
  • Setting boundaries
  • Discovering your leadership style
  • Your first 90 days

Outcomes — you'll be able to

  • Understand what's expected of you as a leader
  • Navigate changing relationships with former peers
  • Build credibility quickly
  • Create your first-90-days plan

Included in every course

  • Interactive, facilitator-led learning
  • Group discussions
  • Breakout exercises
  • Take-away materials

Live online

From £550+ VAT

Course details

your next step starts here —

Ready to step into the lab?

Your business. Our training. Together, we thrive.

Bring the challenge your people want to work on. We'll shape a practical training workshop or coaching experience around it — with room to explore, practise and take a useful next step.

Start a conversation