Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper said it best, “You manage things; you lead people.”

One of the most important skills that an effective leader must possess is the ability to delegate and to do so with forethought. Whether you’re managing people within a corporate setting, or delegating as an entrepreneur to a virtual assistant, your lack of clarity in expectations will likely result in disappointing results. Simply put, in order for them to succeed, for your desired results to be realized, your team members need to know exactly what you expect of them up front.

It’s relatively easy to blame someone else when delegation goes wrong, However, it behooves you, regardless of your title, to examine your own actions first, before pointing a finger at others.

Ask yourself, “As the leader, did I do what I needed to do, to ensure optimum results?”

Leaders spend an inordinate amount of time communicating. According to The Center for Management and Organization Effectiveness, research suggests that leaders spend 80% of their time communicating. This time expenditure includes, but is not limited to verbal, face-to-face interactions, conference calls and emails. Lack of clarity in expectations comes with a multitude of indisputable consequences and when delegating goes wrong, the following three items are usually at the root of the problem:

I have coined this assessment the D.I.D. Factor: Define, Identify, Discuss. READ MORE