Mark works as a pharmacy manager within a small chain. During a recent performance appraisal, he stresses that he needs more help within the pharmacy.

To address the issue, his line manager asks him to make a list of activities that he completes each day to establish an overall picture. Following this exercise, it is noticeable that Mark tends to take on activities that could be completed by other colleagues. They agree to delegate completion of weekly monitored dosage trays (MDS) to the dispensary technician. Mark voices some concerns about accountability, but agrees to a trial period.

Emma is a qualified dispensary technician with 10 years’ experience and, while she enjoys working in pharmacy, she does not feel challenged in her current role. She has asked if she can undertake new roles and responsibilities, but nothing has changed. Mark likes to control everything and must approve all decisions. Emma is surprised when he invites her to assume responsibility for the MDS trays. Mark requests that she reviews the MDS procedures first and completes all MDS trays on time each week. Emma is assigned a small area of the dispensary to complete 10 trays each week.

During the first week, Mark closely supervises Emma during assembly and points out three better ways to enhance the process. Emma initially feels uncomfortable, but appreciates that it will take time for Mark to let go of the responsibility. He steps in and completes five trays to speed things up. With each week, Mark continues to engage in the assembly process and Emma’s role is reduced to simply retrieving medicines for assembly. By the end of the first month, Emma is incredibly frustrated as Mark has failed to let her take responsibility for the role.

Emma is determined to undertake the role and asks to meet with Mark. Mark admits that he is finding it difficult to relinquish control, which has resulted in him micro-managing her.

Emma will give up the role if his supervision approach continues as she feels it is insulting. Mark agrees to set clear goals and boundaries and establishes a feedback mechanism that is appropriate for both parties.

As each week passes, Mark becomes comfortable with the delegation and finds that he has released time to focus on other important activities. He has also identified that Emma could easily assist with other tasks that he no longer needs to do. Mark knows that he has a long way to go in relinquishing, but this is a start. He asks to attend delegation training to support his development in this area.