Here's how you can foster trust and accountability in your small business through delegation.

To cultivate accountability within your team, establish SMART objectives for every task. Clear and achievable goals enable team members to track their progress effectively, fostering a sense of accomplishment upon completion. This approach not only boosts motivation but also strengthens their responsibility for the assigned tasks. By meeting these objectives, your confidence in their capabilities will increase, promoting a more independent and accountable workforce.

Communicate the goals, listen to improvements offered by the team. Clearly define the outputs; Give the team space as they get to work; Check in regularly to offer encouragement and support; Thank them for the work they are doing; Pull the team back together if the project is getting stuck or drifting.

Clear expectations and valuing your team's contributions are the two most important pieces I have learned for any business size or structure. Without these, it can breed a toxic work culture unexpectedly and this will kill a business faster than anything else. People thrive on inclusion, appreciation, and routine.

Be very specific in defining the role and the tasks and then make sure that people not only are trained to excel in the role but also that they are empowered to make decisions related to their role. They need to be trained and developed so well that if or when they move on, they can train their replacement.

Create goals that align departments. Get everyone rowing in the same direction for quicker and easier growth. Have staff own their objectives. If you create something and take ownership over it, they're much more likely to be self motivated to achieve it. Make sure the targets are big enough. As Dan Sullivan says, 10x is easier than 2x. A big goal is almost never 10x harder to achieve than a 2x goal. The result however, is a whole lot bigger.

When goals are not clear, even Einstein could be doing something worthless. 80% of people do not know why they do the things they do.

Your team needs tools, provide them. Ai still has a way to go. Point and case: "When employees have access to what they need to complete their tasks efficiently, it demonstrates your trust in their capabilities and your commitment to their success."

The most important tool is AUTHORITY. If appropriate authority is not given, it means you don't trust the person for the job and he will not be able to perform as per his full capabilities. Always remember, Responsibility without Authority doesn't work.

If you don't give people autonomy, you'll have to manage them. Who wants to do that? Encouraging autonomy is a key aspect of delegation that builds trust and accountability. Give your team the freedom to approach tasks in their own way, within the boundaries of your business's standards and practices. This autonomy shows that you trust their judgment and skills, which boosts their confidence and encourages them to take full responsibility for their work. When employees feel trusted, they are more likely to act in the best interest of the business.

Encouraging autonomy is crucial for fostering trust and accountability in your small business. Give your team the freedom to tackle tasks their way, within your business’s standards and in alignment with your business brand and culture, of course. This shows you trust their judgment and skills, boosting their confidence and making them more accountable. For example, as an attorney working with small businesses, I've seen clients thrive when they delegate effectively. One client empowered their team to make key decisions, increasing productivity and morale. overall. And their end client loved it. Trusting your employees not only supports their growth but also strengthens your business!

Tracking progress in delegating tasks in a small company requires implementing a systematic approach. Start by using project management tools like Trello, Asana, or Monday.com to assign tasks and set deadlines. Establish regular check-ins, such as weekly meetings, to discuss progress, address challenges, and provide feedback. Clearly define milestones and key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure success. Encourage open communication and make adjustments as needed. This method ensures accountability, keeps everyone aligned, and allows for timely intervention if tasks deviate from the plan, ultimately improving efficiency and achieving business goals.

People are the most valuable asset in any organization. It therefore makes sense that they are appreciated and valued not just for their contribution but also for who they are. Appreciating and celebrating milestones, and victories in both their personal world as well as within the company tells them you value them, not just for their contribution, but more importantly, for who they are.

What fun is life if you don't celebrate successes? Unless there aren't any successes. Then, create some. Once created, celebrate them. It's best to include the people who helped you create them but to each their own.

The key to building trust through delegation is demonstrating hunger, intelligence and humility. Be hungry for success. Be intelligent enough to make certain that those that are being delegated to have the clarity of the role AND the requisite ability to do the work well. There can be no short cuts here. Ability is defined as the background, experience, education AND mindset necessary to perform well in a given role. One’s mindset may be measured through powerful psychometric assessments like the TriMetrix® HD. Iron sharpens iron. If you want the trust and respect of your people - make certain you are doing what it takes to maximize the potential for success. Mistakes happen and are the tuition paid for success. Embrace them.

Building trust is an inside and outside job, trust starts from within at the team level. When I joined the Estée Lauder Bureau - which is an agency based arm of the organisation where promotional staff were temps, the number one value was always be supportive of colleague recommendations. In other words, let the unity seep all the way through to the client interface.

I’m gonna disagree with the majority of this article, trust is earned on both sides through collaboration not task setting. Work with your employees to show them how you like things done and if they want the opportunity to showcase their skills, let them, let them try even if they fail, celebrate the failures just as much as you celebrate the victories. Show them your way, but let them learn what works best for them, creativity is the key to innovation. To inspire innovation, make your small businesses adaptive and liquid. There is no one perfect way to accomplish any goal, be open to letting them bring their life experience and creativity into your business. Be bold and be humble!