Delegation is more than just a way to get people to things for you ... maybe even those things that you dislike doing yourself. This past week I was visiting with one of my small business clients and we talked about how important effective delegation is to the business owner / President / CEO. When used properly, delegation enables you to increase productivity and profitability, improve morale and decrease employee turnover. And, it allows you as a business leader perhaps feeling overworked and overstressed to enjoy professional success and still have a personal life.

Here are the basic steps for delegating effectively:

1. Prepare in advance. Identify your goal, purpose for delegation and who you have in mind.

2. Talk with the employee to ensure you're aligned on specifics and outcome

3. Identify a timeline for completion

4. Empower them (authority level) and ... get out of their way!

5. Establish status updates to check their progress

6. Wrap-up: reinforce the new skill, continual improvement, encouragement / coaching

As an owner, you should delegate about 90 percent of what comes across your desk, so that you focus on the strategic opportunities in front of the company. Even if you're a very small business, you'll need to build a team around you -- not necessarily employees, but perhaps outsource the needed expertise: marketing, financial, production, etc. Using these steps will give you the tools and the confidence to delegate in a manner that achieves the results you want, while helping to grow your people and enabling you to become a more effective leader.