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Abstract: This article explores the importance of leadership development as a strategic priority for organizations seeking to cultivate talent and drive long-term success. It highlights research demonstrating the business impact of intentional leadership programs, and outlines practical strategies for leaders to transition from a culture of delegation to one focused on mentorship, empowerment, and skill development. Key approaches include integrating teaching into daily work, providing opportunities for direct reports to lead from any level, exposing them to diverse perspectives, and creating avenues for impact beyond routine responsibilities. The article uses the case study of State Farm's Agent Development Program to illustrate the real-world implementation and benefits of prioritizing leadership development over simple task assignment. By making learning and growth a cultural cornerstone, the article argues, organizations can build internal talent pipelines, foster innovation, and future-proof their strategic direction for sustained competitive advantage.
Leaders today have an unprecedented opportunity to cultivate talent and drive organizational success by transitioning from a culture of delegation to one focused on mentorship, empowerment and leadership development. As workforces diversify and generational values shift, the most effective leaders are those who teach their people transferable skills and empower them with autonomy, rather than simply assigning tasks.
Today we will explore research on the importance of leadership development and provide strategies and examples for leaders seeking to foster the next generation within their own organization. By cultivating an internal talent pool through hands-on mentorship and challenging growth opportunities, leaders can build capability, engagement and future-proof their businesses for sustained success.
Leadership Development is Key to Organizational Success
A wealth of academic research underscores the impact that intentional leadership development has on business outcomes. According to the Center for Creative Leadership, companies with well-developed leadership programs experience 27% higher profit margins and 19% higher total returns to shareholders compared to those without (McCauley & Hanson, 2006). Strong leaders are also able to more easily navigate uncertainty and disruption, as flexible skills translate across contexts (Tulgan, 2014). However, simply promoting high performers into leadership roles is insufficient - targeted development is required to cultivate strategic thinking, change management abilities and emotional intelligence (Hesselbein & Goldsmith, 2009).
As such, the most forward-thinking organizations recognize leadership as a competitive advantage that merits strategic focus and long-term investment (Charan, Drotter & Noel, 2011). Intel, McDonald's, and Ford have long maintained robust internal leadership academies that help retain key talent through career-spanning development, versus costly replacement hiring (Cox, 2007). But leadership development need not require extensive resources - the most valuable opportunities often stem from on-the-job experiences, candid feedback and mentorship relationships within existing organizational structures (Vicere & Fulmer, 1998).
Make the Shift from Delegating to Teaching
To transition from a culture of delegation to one focused on developing future leaders, current leaders must understand the distinction between the two approaches and make intentional behavioral shifts. Delegating simply involves assigning tasks and responsibilities to direct reports, with minimal involvement beyond checking progress and results. Teaching, on the other hand, implies a hands-on mentoring relationship where leaders actively facilitate learning through challenging work, candid feedback and exposure to strategic perspectives (Groysberg & Lee, 2009).
Some key distinctions between delegating and teaching include:
Delegating focuses on allotting work, teaching focuses on developing skills
Delegating provides autonomy, teaching provides coaching and guidance
Delegating evaluates outputs, teaching provides ongoing feedback
Delegating transfers work, teaching transfers knowledge
To start teaching, leaders must shift their mindset from getting work done to developing talent. They should seek out growth opportunities for direct reports and help them build competence through tried-and-failed learning experiences (Sogunro, 2017). Teaching also demands more time investment, with leaders available as an ongoing resource rather than checking in periodically.
Integrate Teaching Throughout Daily Work
The most impactful teaching occurs organically through day-to-day interactions rather than separate programs or classes. Leaders can integrate instruction into routine work by:
Inviting direct reports to observe strategic discussions and explain their perspectives
Assigning stretch projects just beyond an individual's current capabilities
Having direct reports jointly present on projects to test communication skills
Reviewing draft documents together to provide writing feedback
Conducting weekly development-focused check-ins to surface strengths and growth areas
These types of on-the-job learning opportunities allow skills to be practiced immediately in low-risk environments. Leaders can also share own experiences of success and failure to normalize risks and model continual improvement (Hess & Ludwig, 2017). Daily interactions present numerous teachable moments where feedback integrates into workflow versus feeling separate from the real work.
Provide Opportunities to Lead From Any Level
Beyond daily instruction, leaders should identify ambitious projects for direct reports to lead independently with guidance. This builds confidence through autonomy while safely challenging assumptions in a supportive "laboratory" setting. For example, at software giant Adobe the president launched an initiative allowing any employee to pilot new business ideas with full backing as if starting their own company (Kelley & Littman, 2001).
At the healthcare company Intermountain, clinic managers are empowered to experiment with care delivery innovations knowing the organization will spread successful models enterprise-wide (Cox, 2007). Initiatives like these spur motivation by granting ownership over meaningful work and imparting strategic perspective regardless of formal level. Leaders can achieve this by:
Rotating direct reports into temporary leadership roles on committees or task forces
sponsoring internal "hackathons" for prototyping new solutions to organizational problems
providing a budget for direct reports to independently research and pilot new opportunities
By teaching skills and turning over meaningful responsibility at any level, leaders inspire confidence to take intelligent risks while informing strategic direction from the front lines.
Provide Exposure to Diverse Perspectives
Seeking diverse perspectives and viewpoints strengthens both individual development and strategic thinking. Leaders can foster this by:
Connecting direct reports with internal mentors in other departments for fresh insights
Inviting direct reports to observe executive presentations from across the organization
Rotating direct reports into short "detailing" assignments in peer organizations
Encouraging direct reports to join cross-functional project teams
At Novartis, new managers shadow colleagues in various therapeutic areas to gain a broader view of patient needs beyond their specialized function (Hugentobler, Israel & Schurman, 2015). These types of rotational exposures disrupt insular thinking while building internal networks for future collaboration.
Additionally, leaders should include direct reports in offsites, industry conferences and client visits to expose them directly to the customer, competitive and socioeconomic forces shaping long-term direction. This "seeing around corners" accelerates both business and personal growth compared to narrow, specialized experiences alone.
Provide Opportunities for Impact Beyond Daily Work
Offering opportunities to directly influence organizational strategy and priorities beyond routine responsibilities further sparks motivation and develops strategic thinking. This can include:
Appointing a direct report as a representative on a task force for strategic initiatives
Having direct reports conduct research and make recommendations on industry trends
Sponsoring internal "solve for" challenges where teams ideate solutions for real business problems
Nominating high potentials for accelerator programs to incubate innovations
At Barclays, one such program saw tech startups incubated in the bank's offices become acquisitions that paved new lines of business (Rigby & Bilodeau, 2013). Programs like this provide safe exposure to strategic problem-solving that accelerates development compared to operational roles alone. By creating these types of impact opportunities, leaders embed mentees directly in shaping future direction.
Case Study: State Farm's Agent Development Program
State Farm's Agent Development Program exemplifies how intentional leadership development creates future leaders from within. After 90 days of training, new agents are paired with experienced mentors to shadow for two years with no book of business responsibility. Mentors model customer interactions, underwrite policies and review performance daily providing ongoing feedback (Carey, Ogden & Crawford, 2011).
Over the two-year period, “protégés” gain supervised exposure to all aspects of the agency role including underwriting complex risks, settling major claims and making strategic sales pitches. They also complete bridging assignments to local business and non-profit boards to build relationships and demonstrate civic leadership. By year three, protégés have gained extensive competence running full-service agencies of their own while building an internal support network.
This intensive hands-on mentorship model has helped State Farm retain over 90% of protégés, with many moving into regional leadership roles. By transitioning daily responsibilities into strategic coaching opportunities, the program exemplifies the real impact of prioritizing teaching over mere delegation.
Conclusion
Today's workforce seeks meaningful development and leaders who empower new ideas. Organizations able to cultivate capable, motivated internal talent will gain competitive advantage in attracting specialized skills while driving innovation from the ground up. By shifting mindset from task delegation to intentional teaching, leaders can build leaders and future-proof their business from within through challenging assignments, feedback and exposure to diverse perspectives. When development becomes a daily priority integrated into routine work, exemplified through ambitious stretch opportunities and mentorship, organizations retain top performers, build internal succession pipelines and future-proof their strategic directions for sustained success. Leaders who make learning a cultural cornerstone will drive engagement, flexibility and business performance for the long term.
References
Carey, S., Ogden, D., & Crawford, K. (2011). Career coaching insights and best practices from State Farm Agent Development Program. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 63(3), 157–168.
Charan, R., Drotter, S., & Noel, J. (2011). The leadership pipeline: How to build the leadership powered company (2nd ed.). Jossey-Bass.
Cox, W. M. (2007). Transformational and transactional leadership: Building high-performing teams through coaching. American Management Association.
Groysberg, B., & Lee, L. E. (2009). Hiring stars and their colleagues: Exploration and exploitation in professional service firms. Organization Science, 20(4), 740–758.
Hesselbein, F., & Goldsmith, M. (Eds.). (2009). The leader of the future 2: Visions, strategies, and practices for the new era. Jossey-Bass.
Hess, E. D., & Ludwig, K. (2017). The BMW leadership barometer: What great leaders do differently in times of radical change. Campus Verlag.
Hugentobler, M. K., Israel, B. A., & Schurman, S. J. (2015). An action research approach to developing organizational capacity: A story of collaboration. Health Education Research, 30(6), 957–975.
Kelley, T., & Littman, J. (2001). The art of innovation: Lessons in creativity from IDEO, America's leading design firm. Currency/Doubleday.
McCauley, C. D., & Hanson, P. G. (2006). Benchmarking leadership and organizational effectiveness. In J. W. Fleenor (Ed.), The Center for Creative Leadership handbook of leadership development (2nd ed., pp. 282–313). Jossey-Bass.
Rigby, D. K., & Bilodeau, B. (2013). Management tools & trends 2013. Bain & Company.
Sogunro, O. A. (2017). Educating culturally competent mentors. Cultural Competence in Higher Education, 115–133.
Tulgan, B. (2014). Bridge the soft skills gap: How to teach the missing basics to young talent. Jossey-Bass.
Vicere, A., & Fulmer, R. M. (1998). Leadership by design: How benchmark companies sustain success through leadership development. Harvard Business School Press.
Jonathan H. Westover, PhD is Chief Academic & Learning Officer (HCI Academy); Chair/Professor, Organizational Leadership (UVU); OD Consultant (Human Capital Innovations). Read Jonathan Westover's executive profile here.
Suggested Citation: Westover, J. H. (2025). How to Stop Delegating and Start Teaching: Developing Future Leaders from Within. Human Capital Leadership Review, 18(1). doi.org/10.70175/hclreview.2020.18.1.2
