Goodison's theorem illustration
Management / Delegation / Leadership
Management / Delegation / Leadership

Goodison's theorem

Doing everything yourself does not make you a good manager.

Popularity
Usefulness
Aliases
Goodison's law / don't-do-it-all-yourself principle
Domains
Management, delegation, leadership, teamwork

Definition

  • Goodison's Theorem holds that a manager who never delegates — keeping all the hard work because they trust no one else — becomes the bottleneck, and that a good manager is one who knows how to let others share the load.

Core Idea

  • Doing everything yourself does not make you a good manager.
  • Refusing to delegate signals distrust and creates a bottleneck.
  • Effective managers develop others and share the work.

How It Works

  • Some managers hoard difficult tasks, believing only they can do them well.
  • This overloads the manager and stunts the team's growth.
  • Delegating builds capability, frees the manager, and improves overall output.

Usage Example

  • A manager drowning in work because they refuse to trust anyone learns to delegate, and both their own effectiveness and the team's capability rise.

Famous Example

  • Example: Cited in management writing on the dangers of the non-delegating manager.
  • Why it fits this rule: It captures how distrust-driven self-reliance harms the manager and team.
  • Verification status: A management adage; specific attribution to "Goodison" is unverified.

Use Cases / Situations Where It Applies

  • Delegation and workload management.
  • Developing team capability.
  • Avoiding manager burnout and bottlenecks.

When Not to Use or Common Misuse

  • Do not delegate without giving guidance, authority, and support.
  • Do not use "delegation" to dump unwanted work without development.
  • Do not abdicate responsibility for outcomes when you delegate tasks.

Rule Invention / Origin

  • Invented by: Attributed to "Goodison" in management literature; source unverified.
  • Year of invention: Modern; not firmly dated.
  • Country / context of origin: Popular management literature.

Evidence / Research Basis

  • Consistent with research on delegation, trust, and team development.