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Don’t Jump at the First Sign of Trouble

When toddlers are learning to walk, parents learn quickly to hang back when they stumble. Children tend to right themselves and get back on course.

The same is true when delegating to others. If you see smoke, don’t immediately assume there is fire. Jumping to the rescue too soon can dampen an employee’s confidence in himself, and spark what could become smoldering resentment toward you.

So how do you hold back when you fear success could be in danger? Think expectations, time line, and follow-up. Call it the ABCs, or rather the ETFs, of delegation. When setting expectations, be clear on what you want done and how you generally would like it to be done. As part of that, explain how you would like to see concerns handled, at what stage you would like to know about them, and to what detail. But also ask the employee to bring one or two possible solutions to you as well.

If you’re following up at regular intervals, you’ll likely head off most problems before they arise.