Trust, but verify

The best way to delegate is to agree on the task to be done and be as specific as possible on the outcome required.  If you let people work to the desired outcome with as much autonomy as possible, you will get maximum employee engagement.

So how do you learn to relax and let people do things their own way?  How do you fight the urge to micro manage?

Simple- check in often with people who you are not sure will be able to get it done.  The more unsure you are, the more you check in.  Ask lots of questions, check the work, and provide support where required.  As your confidence builds, check in less often and take a “you got this” approach.

Ronald Reagan called this approach “trust, but verify.”

With a new person you are unsure of, or someone doing a new type of work, it will often seem easier to do it yourself than coach them through it, but fight the urge.  If you get this right you will have bought yourself tons of freedom and you will have a more engaged and self-confident employee on your team.