Delegation, trust and accountability should all go together, (in my opinion). How can a manager effectively delegate responsibilities of his/her staff members if there is no knowledge and trust in their abilities? How can a manager expect to hold someone accountable without this knowledge? Delegation, which could also be a trust issue, is a tough assignment all in itself — numerous Managers have a difficult time embracing this concept.

One way to overcome this would be to assign tasks over and over until that “inventory of team strengths” can be clearly defined.

It’s also the manager’s job to find the weak link in each project (and there will be one!). This is when the Manager should be held accountable, yet be able to find the resources to overcome the limitations and/or delegate in view of that.

A successful Manager should be held accountable for recognizing the expertise of his/her staff members and setting these strengths into motion. A manager can then delegate effectively and concisely to hold the entire team accountable for the project. In the end, everyone should get the glory! (and deserve it!)