To help someone truly feel responsible means offering them a choice.
For instance, “I need people for projects A, B, and C. Please tell me by the end of day which one you’d prefer to work on.” By offering a choice, you are allowing employees to gravitate to their strengths and interests, and fostering investment in the project’s success.
Presenting a problem to your staff and asking them to come up with some creative solutions for solving it will empower employees to take responsibility and build their confidence and skills.
“I’ve noticed that the reports have been submitted late the past few Fridays. Please discuss as a team and let me know what you think the problem is and how you propose to fix it.”