Today, I begin with one of my most priceless experiences… dropping off my toddler on their first day of school.

Mixed feelings racing all over me while I watch my little one look lost in the big world… I remind myself that the decision to take her to school has already been made as she is collected by a friendly member of staff who says, “don’t worry, your baby will be just fine!”

As I head off, I am reminded that I have delegated the task of looking after my child for that period to the school…but I remain responsible for my child, overall.

In the workplace, we often have to delegate some tasks to officers under our supervision. It is a good practice for so many reasons which include experience, growth and succession planning.

I would like to address that sense of fear that may grip an actor faced the prospect that they would need to delegate a function to another. The fear that it might not be delivered to expectation is common and sometimes manifests in constant badgering of the delegate.

Think of the trust that you deposit in those staff at your child’s school. You trust that when you come for the pick-up, you will find your child well, albeit in a bit of a mess! That should help you build confidence around delegation.

In a corporate, delegating a task does not mean delegating responsibility. You remain responsible for the result of the actions of your delegate. Therefore, it is important that you establish robust work processes with strong characteristics of the work culture, ethics, consultation, quality control and so on.

Let go of those fears and hold on to the responsibility…enjoy delegation…effectively.

Let’s share!