Delegating without losing control

• A fear of losing control suggests viewing delegation in all-or-nothing terms - either you over-manage or you abdicate, i.e. just asking people to do things and that's it.
• This is not managing - it's just a simple request to take action.
• Just as you cannot manage your finances without periodically reviewing the return you are getting, you can't be a business manager with no regular review of how your resources are deployed and performing.

Steps to getting the balance right.

• Ask team members to talk you through how they are going to approach the task - this should reassure you that they know what they are doing - helping you feel in control.
• Ask them to commit to both completion and review dates. Ensure that the frequency of the review dates is in accordance with the task's risk and cost of failure. This step should also contributes to a sense of control for you.

If your feeling of loss of control is anxiety driven, the above systematic way of delegating should help you feel more in control. Conversely, if you deal with your anxiety by doing everything yourself, you only create more pressure and more anxiety for yourself. This is self-defeating.