Here's how you can balance delegation while maintaining control and accountability.

Train staff to be autonomous- co create the professional development and you won’t need to ‘control’ - control is the curse of our society that drives us further and further apart and suspicious of each other.

Balancing delegation with control and accountability involves assigning tasks based on team members' strengths, providing clear instructions, and setting expectations. Establish regular check-ins to monitor progress and offer support without micromanaging. Utilize project management tools to track tasks and deadlines. Foster an environment of trust and open communication, allowing team members to take ownership while holding them accountable for their work, ensuring both productivity and quality standards are met.

To balance delegation while maintaining control and accountability, define roles with clear "what" and "how" expectations. Explicitly outline responsibilities, goals, and expected behaviors. Document these roles and make them accessible to everyone. Regularly revisit and adjust expectations through individual and team check-ins. Foster an environment of psychological safety to encourage open communication and feedback. Tailor communication to individual needs to ensure clarity and understanding.

Delegate wisely to those that are ready to take on the task. If I delegate to someone to do the dishes, and I've never seen them do the dishes, I'll not let them start with my grandmother's china, but instead let them first clean my kids' plastic plates. Same in the office: start with tasks that they are ready for and as they prove that they can successfully do them, you increase to more complex, higher stake tasks

As a leader, setting clear objectives for delegating tasks involves a structured approach. Begin by defining the "what" and "how" of each task, detailing roles, responsibilities, goals, and expected behaviors. Document these objectives in accessible formats for the team. Regularly revisit and update them through individual and team check-ins. Encourage bidirectional feedback to ensure alignment and understanding. Foster a culture of psychological safety to promote open communication and tailor your approach to meet the diverse needs of team members for optimal clarity and comprehension.

When we set objectives, we tend to only give one view of success. It'll help your team to get a frame of reference, rather than one data point. Sure, success is 100, but if I make it to 95 is that still acceptable or will you fire me? What about if I reach 120? It is helpful to provide a range what is success, what is good enough, what is definitely below the bar and what is really a jaw-dropping outcome?

Setting objectives is like micromanaging. You are not dealing with little kids. You're dealing with mature adults. And if you have to set objectives, then you are showing them you don't trust them. So why should they trust you as their leader. Instead of setting objectives, repeat your vision. Allow your vision to become their mission by repeating it daily, frequently and spontaneously. Always talk about your vision as if it has already come into existence. This is the secret of the greatest business leaders and military leaders. They are constantly repeating their vision. Not setting objectives. Allow your team to set their own objectives on what they must do to accomplish your vision.

Begin by defining specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals for each delegated task. Communicate these objectives clearly to your team, outlining the expected outcomes, priorities, and deadlines. Ensure that each team member understands their role in achieving these goals and the impact on the overall project. Regularly review progress against these objectives and provide constructive feedback. By setting clear objectives, you create a roadmap that guides your team’s efforts, maintains focus, and enhances accountability, while allowing you to monitor progress and intervene when necessary.

I would replace "trust but verify" with "inspect what you expect." If you trust me why would you need to verify. By doing so, you will unfortunately break my trust simply because you need to verify. However, if you inspect what you expect, then what you're telling your team is I care enough about you that I want to make sure you are performing at the highest level. This has nothing to do with trust, but everything to do with training.

Identify Tasks to Delegate Not all tasks are suitable for delegation. Identify routine or time-consuming tasks that can be handled by others. Routine Tasks: These include regular activities that do not require your direct involvement. Skill-Building Opportunities: Delegate tasks that can help team members develop new skills or enhance existing ones.

Begin by entrusting your team with tasks, signaling confidence in their abilities. However, supplement this trust with mechanisms to verify progress and quality. Set up regular check-ins, status updates, and progress reports to stay informed. Utilize tools and systems for tracking milestones and outcomes. Encourage open communication, allowing team members to raise issues and seek guidance. This approach ensures that while you empower your team with autonomy, you retain oversight to ensure tasks are on track and meet the required standards, thereby maintaining accountability.

Cómo lograr el equilibrio entre la delegación y el control en la gestión de equipos. Delegar sin perder el control es un arte esencial para cualquier líder. (encontrar el equilibrio adecuado es la clave del éxito) Aquí te dejo una guía práctica para lograrlo: - Confía en tu equipo desde el principio. - Establece expectativas claras y específicas. - Implementa un sistema de seguimiento regular. - Proporciona feedback constructivo y oportuno. - Fomenta la autonomía y la toma de decisiones. Consejo adicional: - Establece hitos y puntos de verificación intermedios para evaluar el progreso sin interferir constantemente. Esto te ayudará a ser un líder eficaz en la delegación. Además, confía en tu equipo y monitorea de modo estratégico.

This is so critical and often overlooked. We tend to think people can figure it out by themselves, but we forget that we are prone to the Curse of Knowledge and what makes total sense for us in terms of available sources and experts is something that not everyone easily can know. So share these ideas with your people and really set them up for success. It'll be in your own benefit!

I was responsible for transforming the Logistics Department for a Vitamin Company. Every day, I trained them on mindfulness and mindset. I never taught them about logistics. Yet they were able to break records in the company like never before. In my vicinity, I had books scattered everywhere so anyone in my department can read them. It was books on personal development. These were the resources that I used to help them accelerate in their career. There was not one book about logistics. Yet 3 people got promoted to leadership role.

Ensure your team has access to the necessary tools, training, information, and support needed to complete their tasks effectively. Identify any gaps in knowledge or resources and address them proactively. Offer guidance and direction, but also encourage resourcefulness and problem-solving. By equipping your team with the right resources, you set them up for success, fostering a sense of competence and confidence. This not only enhances productivity and quality of work but also reinforces accountability, as team members can perform their roles effectively and meet the established objectives.

Providing resources is perhaps the most important thing since it can make the difference between finishing a project on-time but burning out your team and finishing a project on-time with an energized team feeling a sense of accomplishment. Your role as a supervisor/leader most likely comes with a set of experiences, connections, and access to people/places/things that your team members may be privy to. By pre-staging these resources (e.g. calling ahead to another department to coordinate an action, making initial introductions to facilitate better working relationships, etc.), you will save time - and headaches - since your team will already know who/where to go to without having to come to you at every step of a project for help.

Monitor Progress and Provide Feedback Regular check-ins can help keep the project on track without micromanaging. Set Milestones: Break down the task into manageable parts with clear milestones. Offer Constructive Feedback: Provide regular feedback to guide them towards the desired outcome.

Foster an open and transparent environment where team members feel comfortable sharing their thoughts, concerns, and suggestions. Regularly solicit feedback on processes, challenges, and progress. Actively listen to your team and respond constructively, showing that their input is valued and taken seriously. Use this feedback to make informed adjustments and improvements. By promoting a culture of feedback, you can identify potential issues early, make necessary course corrections, and continuously enhance team performance. This practice not only increases accountability but also empowers your team, as they feel heard and involved in the decision-making process.

As the CEO of my company, I do not need to encourage feedback because results is the ultimate feedback. And the results from each individual in my company is the ultimate feedback about their productivity. Results is the name of the game. Encourage your team to do whatever it takes to achieve results as long as it is legally, ethically and morally correct. How do you encourage them, by always reminding them and showing them that you believe in them.

Listen openly feedbacks from your team is key to help them to grow in their journey. If they are not willing to give it, it is key to ask. Once understood their point of view we need to give hints and inputs to let them grow. DO NOT LEAVE them alone when you delegate a task at least in the initial phase. Let them know that you are there for them!

Delegation can be disappointing because sometimes (or many times!), people are initially *really* bad at the task. That’s okay. Keep changing it up. Here’s my game plan: -Really study your team’s strengths and quirks -Clearly explain what you need (no mind-reading required) -Invest time in a template or examples -Check in early to keep things on track Then tweak things: -Shift responsibilities based on strengths -Provide additional training or resources -Pair team members for support -Sideline deadweight After years in the lab, I think of it like a science experiment. Some combinations will flop, others will be brilliant. Keep an open mind, have a sense of humor about missteps, & reward wins. Refinement is THE key to delegation.

Leadership ought to be a dynamic process, as your team may need less (or more) encouragement during the final stretches of a project. Of course, the client may also request certain items that may offset your plans, which may require you to personally step in so that your team can focus on their tasks without distractions. To ignore adjustments would be detrimental as it can create mismanaged resources - an effect that can reverberate into future projects and even negatively impact your sister departments.

Balancing delegation with control and accountability is an ongoing process that requires patience and practice. By following these steps, you can empower your team, increase productivity, and maintain oversight of your projects. Remember, the key to successful delegation lies in clear communication, trust, and regular feedback. Embrace these principles, and watch your team—and your business—thrive.

What I’ve seen work is to balance between empowering team members and maintaining control and accountability. To achieve this, I clearly define the tasks to be delegated, ensuring that team members have a clear understanding of the expected outcomes and deadlines. I provide necessary training and support to equip them with the skills and knowledge required to complete the tasks successfully. Regular check-ins and progress updates allow me to monitor the progress of delegated tasks while providing opportunities for guidance and support. I encourage open communication and feedback to ensure that team members feel comfortable raising any concerns or seeking clarification.

To effectively delegate sometimes requires a bit more inner work than outer work. Oftentimes the reason why we do not delegate well is because we have trust issues...with ourselves. Delegating requires that you not only disseminate tasks to your fellow team members, but that you also empower them to get them done in the best way possible. This may not be your way. If you are challenged by either delegating or maintaining balance when you delegate, it is time to go within yourself and figure out what is triggering these misbehaviors. Ultimately, our team members want to support us as well as each other. We must create an environment that is healthy, psychologically safe and free from micromanagement to ensure that we all win.