The most effective mindset to have when delegating is trust and let go. This can be challenging, however, to put this concept into a more practical framework. You can use the what, why, how approach. The first step is to choose the right initiative to delegate and to make sure you have chosen the person for whom this is the right initiative to delegate. Not only must the initiative offer the workplace experiences that this team member wants to explore, but the individual must also have the confidence, and if not all the skills and knowledge required, then at least the potential to develop their skills and knowledge sufficiently to be successful. And they must have the time and capacity too.

You can then use the what, why, how model to initiate a kickoff conversation. What this is about, communicating what ultimate success looks like for this initiative, not what you want the individual to do at a step by step level.

Why? To ensure that the individual feels motivated to take on the initiative and sees the benefit to them personally. Tell them how it is important to the business and why you believe they are the best person to take it on. This should increase the individual's confidence and desire to take this new challenge on. How.

Explain to the individual that how they approach this initiative is up to them. You want them to use their knowledge and ideas to have autonomy. This will help them feel rewarded by their successes and learn from their mistakes. This is where you trust and let go, but from this point onwards, regularly review the individual's progress, provide feedback, and be a sounding board for their ideas.

More than ever, delegation is the most effective way to balance team, task and individual.

As Theodore Roosevelt put it, the best executive is the one who has the sense to pick good people, to get what he wants done and the self restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it.