As a leader in a new organization, it's daunting to start delegating tasks to a team you're just getting to know.  Does anyone have any tips or advice for getting over that old fashioned "I-need-to-do-it-myself" anxiety?

Anxiety associated with a new role in a new company is not to be unexpected. There may even be a little bit of imposter syndrome, too. 

One of the best things I can recommend is getting to know your direct reports in a one-to-one setting. Use this time to allow them to share their insights, reflect upon their strengths, outline their expectations of you as the new leader, and solicit input on how prior leaders have delegated tasks and activities. 

Foster relationships with your team members to harness the power of intelligence, and then begin to make careful decisions about your delegation strategy. 

Create closed-loop feedback on delegated activities, progress on assigned tasks, and whether the individual meets expectations. Promote positive behaviors and be tactful when addressing areas for improvement. 

Make yourself available to your team to provide additional direction. Play the role of coach and mentor to establish a reciprocal, healthy working relationship.

Although I have been with the same organization for a long time, I can sympathize with the peer, specifically with regards to delegation. Most executives or senior leaders are in their current roles as recognition of prior accomplishments and contributions. They also tend to be detailed-oriented with high levels of standards and expectations.

I find I am constantly battling the urge to personally take on tasks. Whenever I do, I remind myself that someone in the past gave me the opportunity to learn through experience, in a safe and supportive environment. I draw from those experiences to ensure I do the same.

Hopefully that answers the question, at least a part of it.

When first assigning tasks to a new team, it's important to set expectations. Have a call with the team members to clearly explain the task, specific results needed, and timing. Make sure to clearly outline any requirements, such as specific formats for written documents, or assumptions to be included in calculations. If the task is complex or long-term, it is advisable to have periodic touchpoint calls to answer questions and provide guidance as needed. 

Once the team and leader get used to working together, it will be easier to assign tasks through email or chat. 

Hello - coming from a management consulting background, where every new project was likely a new team that you were leading, I started using start-stop-continue meetings each week for the first four weeks.

I've done this, listing 3 items in each, as a two-way conversation. This helped me tremendously in getting clarity that what I was looking for was being done, and by facilitating the conversation as a two-way conversation, it opened the door for my team members to provide feedback on what they needed from training, additional responsibilities, support, or more.

Another good way to embed this 4 week quick-start is to do a sit-down with the team on the career objectives, perceived strengths and weaknesses, and interests. Combining the approaches allowed me to quickly delegate tasks that supported advancing the team's capabilities and get buy-in from the team as we were supporting their individual goals.