The actual delegation starts here with assigning and communicating the assignment to
the person/team. When making the delegation assignment, be sure the individual fully
understands your requirements. Encourage questions, and make yourself available to
answer the questions.
Delegation is not just pushing work down. When you are delegating, you are consulting,
developing, and assigning work. Open communication is vital, and success depends
ultimately on the communication skills of the delegator and the employee, and on the
quality of their relationship.
When there is a lack of trust on either side, or poor communication between them, the
needed understanding and motivation are unlikely to be there. The following steps are
essential in communicating an assignment:

1. Describe as fully as possible the project or task and the results expected.
2. Agree on standards of performance and timetables.
3. Determine any training or special help that will be needed and when it will be
   provided.
4. Define the resources available.
5. State the amount and frequency of feedback you expect.
6. Explain how much authority is being delegated.
7. Tell others who the contact person is.
   Rather than rush to give “do this, do that” orders, effective delegation consists of
   explaining the WHAT and the WHY:
    WHAT do you want done?
    WHY did you select them to do it?
    WHAT-WHY statement should always be included.
   2
   For example:
    I’d like you to make survey calls to find out what our customers think of
   our new safety product line. Given your excellent customer service skills,
   I believe you would represent us well in getting people talking.
    We need to turn in some safety reports to county regulators by next
   Friday, and I want you to confirm that all the numbers are up-to-date
   and accurate in our safety exhibits. You’re a stickler for details, so I’m
   depending on you to crosscheck everything.
    Can you write a letter to our suppliers explaining our new purchasing
   policies? You are very familiar with our purchasing procedures and you
   are great at communicating. Therefore, I believe you would be very good
   at drafting a letter providing the information.
   To become familiar and comfortable with a WHAT-WHY statement, compose one for
   your next project. Don’t stop there; rehearse the statement out loud to hear how it
   sounds.
   When you’ve polished your WHAT-WHY statement, you’re almost ready to delegate.
   The final step before you are ready to present the statement is to prepare answers to
   these three questions:
8. Who should the employee work with on this assignment? Who’s available to offer
   help?
9. What resources or tools are available?
10. What’s the deadline?
    Weave the answers to the above questions into your instruction. Encourage the
    employee to take notes, especially to confirm the deadline so there’s no
    misunderstanding about what you expect at that time.
    The final step in communicating what you want done is to gauge the employee’s
    willingness to comply. End by asking: “Do you feel comfortable tackling this?”
    You might also ask for input on how the individual intends to get started.
    Initially, delegation can feel more like a hassle than it’s worth. However, by delegating
    effectively, you can expand the amount of work you can deliver.
    When you arrange the workload so that you are working on the tasks that have the
    highest priority for you, and other people are working on meaningful and challenging
    assignments, you have a recipe for success.