Who Owns What?

Effective leaders delegate effectively.

Any manual on leadership will maintain that a successful leader needs to know how to delegate effectively. When the job is too big to handle on your own, you must rely upon your team to do their work.

The key is to clearly define who owns what…

• What to Delegate: As you assign tasks, be specific about what needs to be accomplished and by when. Then you need to trust your team members to deliver. You do not need to leave them completely on their own but you must not hover. Let them own the work and check in on a regular, agreed-upon timetable to offer support as needed.
  
  
• What to Keep: What does that leave for you? As a leader you own the overall project and are responsible for end results. You cannot hide behind the mistakes of your team. You need to take the flak for any missteps. This is the way to inspire the loyalty and respect a good leader deserves.