For businesspeople, executive team members, managers, and supervisors there is no more significant activity than delegation. As a manager, it is your job to get work performed through others. Assigning work to others is a High Payoff Activity. Hence, being able to effectively delegate is necessity to productivity and the operation of your business.           

Clearly define the employee's duty. Determine the level of responsibility of employees. Make sure the employee understands that level. After you have given the employee the information of the delegated job, ask him to tell you his understanding of both the goals and task. If the employee's replies do not match your expectations, review the subject in detail again. Decide what you will delegate. Decide which task you need to delegate. Keep in mind that delegating is dissimilar from simply assigning someone a job that is already a part of the normal job requirements.

Clarify the outcomes you want. Shape the results you think necessary for successful completion of the task. If you expect use of a particular method to achieve results, relate that to the employee at the beginning. Fix the scope and level of authority given to the employee for the delegated task. Explain which decisions he or she may make independently and which demands your approval. Give the employee the authority essential to accomplish the task but not so much authority that he or she can create a major disaster before anyone detects the problem.

Set up a time limit, time means different thing to different people. If you want the delegated work finished within a certain period, make that clear to the employee. Also, if you want parts of the work completed by certain dates, make that clear.

Set up a follow-up schedule. Use a series of follow-up meetings to monitor progress and determine need for help. It also can serve as an indication of whether the employee needs help. Some employees hesitate to ask questions, they fear the manager will interpret this as a signal of weakness or inadequacy for the job. The frequency of follow-up meetings will vary from project to project and employee to employee. You may schedule more frequent meetings when delegating to a fresher employee than when delegating to an experienced employee.

Follow the delegation program and avoid reverse delegation. In extreme circumstances, a manager may have no alternative other than to take the task back in order to avoid permanent damage to his or her own performance record. Still, this should be only in extreme cases. When you take back a delegated project, the employee loses the chance to learn and grow. This can also discourage the employee who hoped to do well, but needed more help at that point in time.

The hardest thing about delegation is letting go. Because managers are responsible for the results of a team member, some feel like they have to do everything. Thus, micro managing is inevitable. Managers should force themselves to trust their teams more and the teams trust for the manager will soar.