Learning How to Delegate as a Leader

Delegating work often goes awry. The software doesn’t work, the invitations aren’t sent out on time, or nobody shows up to staff the trade show booth. Or the work is done on time, but at the expense of team member engagement. When a project fails or just plain doesn’t match your expectations as team leader, it’s usually your fault.

This insightful report examines the best ways to delegate work so that you not only end up with successfully completed tasks, but also a team of cheerful people—including a cheerful you. Through interviews with more than two dozen management authorities—executives, managers, leadership coaches, advisors, and authors—author Esther Schindler takes you on a journey through the process, pitfalls, and rewards of delegating work to others.

• Adopt a managerial attitude: learn how to cede control and trust your team
• Understand empowerment: know what, how, and to whom to delegate tasks
• Assign tasks sensibly: delegate objectives and clarify expectations
• Check on a task’s progress: learn how to provide communication and support
• Judge the results through a mentor’s eyes: praise your team and cope with failure