Welcome to the world of management, where the success of your projects often depends not only on your own contribution but on how you use your team's talents and skills. One of the key tools you need to master is the art of delegation. It isn't just shifting work onto other people's shoulders, but the strategic use of the resources available to your team.

Here are the 11 main rules of delegation that every manager should know:

1. Identify the right task to delegate. Not every task is suitable for delegation. Those that require your specific level of expertise or affect the organization's strategic direction should stay under your control.

2. Choose the right person. Make sure the employee you delegate the task to has the skills and resources needed to complete it.

3. Explain the purpose of the task. Help the employee understand why the task matters and how it fits into the bigger picture.

4. Specify the expected results. Define clearly what you expect as a result of this task. The more specific, the better.

5. Make sure it is fully understood. Check that the employee understands the task and how to carry it out. Test this by asking questions.

6. Give enough authority. The employee must have the necessary authority and resources to complete the task.

7. Set deadlines. Define a deadline for the task to prevent procrastination.

8. Provide the necessary resources. Ensure access to the people, time, money or information needed to complete the task.

9. Create a reporting system. Set up a process through which the employee regularly keeps you informed of progress on the task.

10. Keep the feedback going. Delegation also means keeping feedback channels open so the employee can come to you with questions and problems.

11. Don't micromanage. Once you've delegated a task, don't watch the employee's every step.

If you want to learn more about these and other secrets, we recommend reading 5 great books on delegation:

1. Brian Tracy, "Delegation and Supervision"

2. Sergey Potapov, "How to Delegate Authority: 50 Lessons on Sticky Notes"

3. Andrey Parabellum and Nikolay Mrochkovsky, "Quick Results: A 10-Day Program for Boosting Personal Effectiveness"

4. Maria Urban, "Success Through Other People's Hands: How to Delegate Tasks and Achieve Great Results"

5. Kate Keenan, "Delegating Authority"