With the ever increasing pace and complexity of work, today’s leaders have come to realise that they cannot ‘do it all themselves’.

More than ever it is necessary to surround oneself with a diverse, skilled and highly motivated team that can support and assist in completing objectives.

Here, I provide ten necessary steps for effective delegation.

1. Each leader firstly needs to be willing to ‘let go’ of taking responsibility for each and every objective.  In effect  resisting the temptation to micro-manage the process.  Yes, this may mean learning to become comfortable with being uncomfortable at least to begin with!

2. Leaders should delegate objectives that are viewed as attractive and motivating for individuals and teams and not just those pieces of work that they are unwilling to carry out themselves. This demonstrates an integrity to the leaders thinking and behaviours and will motivate others.

3. Delegation of each objective is only effective where it is given to an appropriately skilled and experienced individual or team.  Too complex an objective and people will become disheartened and if too simple, they become bored.  Choose carefully.

4. For effective delegation there needs to be absolute clarity in terms of the specific objective being delegated with the desired outcome explicitly stated and understood. Communicate. Communicate and communicate some more.

5. Milestones and timeframes should be agreed by the leader and the individual or team taking responsibility for the objective.  This assists with maintaining motivation and in building momentum.

6. That individual or team has to be adequately resourced in order to complete the objective.  This may need to be negotiated but be clear in terms of what is available to them.

7. Scope should be provided for the individual or team to generate their own pathway in order to complete the objective. In other words, the leader may set the destination but how the individual or team choose to get there should be left for them to decide.  This approach can unearth some exciting new approaches.

8. The leader should assure the individual or team that they are on hand to support where necessary and to champion the individual or team’s work.

9. Reassurance should be provided from the leader that mistakes are tolerated and will be viewed as learning opportunities for all parties, themselves included. This approach builds trust and transparency.

10. Finally, leaders should acknowledge when the objective has been achieved and provide an opportunity to meet with the individual or team to capture any learning that has taken place.

If you are keen to develop your leadership skills or to create a high performance team then contact create10 today.

Joe McDonald, founder of create10 is professional coach and trainer.  Coaching, workshops and online courses are all available.  Are you passionate about performance?  If so, then email info@create10.ie or see www.create10.ie