1) Don’t look for perfection. Your objective is to get the job done, not create a masterpiece. Establish a standard of quality and a fair timeframe for reaching it. Once you establish the expectations, let your staff decide how to carry out the project.

2) Set the parameters. Make sure your employee has all the information needed to complete the job. Confirm that he or she understands—and accepts—the requirements before you consider it delegated.

3) Focus on teaching skills. Delegating doesn’t mean passing off work you don’t enjoy, but letting your employees stretch their skills and judgment. As you hand over greater responsibility, it’s important to understand that learning new skills sometimes includes making mistakes. Don’t punish employees who make a good faith effort to do things right.

4) Check on progress. Let the employee do the work, but check in periodically on progress. Don’t look over employees’ shoulders or watch their every move. When you outline the expectations in the beginning, make sure you build in checkpoints for follow up.