The one thing you should always do when delegating is to write out the tasks.
One great example of the power of writing comes from an old hidden camera TV show. The producers of the show placed a fake sign on the highway between Pennsylvania and Delaware that read “DELAWARE CLOSED”.
Some of the drivers who were driving to Delaware ignored the sign, but a few others stopped, believed it, and turned around. One concerned driver even asked, “When do you think it will reopen? I live there, and my family is in there!”
THAT’S HOW POWERFUL A PRINTED PHRASE CAN BE.
This is because of the “deference to authority” principle, where printed words carry a much higher authoritative message than verbal ones.
This is why writing down tasks will dramatically increase the probability that they will get done by your remote team.
