CHAPTER 16
DELEGATING
Truly inspirational leadership is demonstrated when one is able to delegate effectively, to trust someone else with your authority, to place responsibility in another’s hands. What better motivation for your team than to know that you trust them with your authority, what better way to demonstrate your own security? Commitment, confidence, discipline all are part and parcel of delegating. Delegating, more than being a tool for shifting the work load on to someone else, is an opportunity to get to know your team and to discover the potential of future leaders, sift the wheat from the chaff, with the aim of ensuring flow and future continuity in the organization.
Many leaders try to control everything and do all the work by themselves, like Moses did in the wilderness, taking on an impossibly large workload, and he became bogged down with one aspect of leadership, and let other important tasks go unattended.
And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people: and the people stood by Moses from the morning unto the evening.
And when Moses' father in law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this thing that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand by thee from morning unto even?
And Moses said unto his father in law, Because the people come unto me to enquire of God:
When they have a matter, they come unto me; and I judge between one and another, and I do make them know the statutes of God, and his laws.
And Moses' father in law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good.
Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.
(Exod. 18:13-18)
If this situation was allowed to continue the Israelites would never get to the Promised Land and they would never achieve their goals. There are times when wise advice, even if it comes from the in-laws, needs to be heeded. Moses was sitting from morning till night trying to sort out disputes and arguments, large and small, little things were occupying all of his time and the big picture was becoming blurred. The reason for their journey had been lost in a myriad of minor problems:
Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God:
And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do.
Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens:
And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee.
If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people shall also go to their place in peace.
So Moses hearkened to the voice of his father in law, and did all that he had said.
And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.
And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes they brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves. (Exod. 18:19-26)
Moses had taught the people what was written in the law, they were familiar with the greater vision and the direction in which they were moving and upon Jethro’s advice, Moses chose leaders of different rank to judge different cases, depending upon importance, and then set the newly appointed judges to work listening to the problems and implementing the law, freeing himself up to do his divinely appointed tasks. Specific conditions had to be met by those to whom the tasks were delegated and then each left to carry on according to his ability. Undoubtedly, as each grew in his appointed task more and more responsibility would be given to him.
Each leader feels the need to be in control, to know everything that is going on, to have his finger on the pulse of the organization, but in a system where delegation is practiced, the leader assigns tasks to others, and these, in turn, report to him and order is maintained. A missing beat will not then turn into a heart attack.
Trying to do it all alone can only lead to stress and burn-out. It is important to take the time and do the necessary groundwork in order to identify leaders within your organization; do not be afraid to promote those who deserve it, for in time, they will promote you. Their success reflects on the leader and pushes him up the ladder within the organization.
Yes, there are people who do not want the responsibility of leadership, and there are those who will insist that it is your job to lead. Their excuse being that you get paid to do the job. For such people, the future, if they have any, is laid out, but there are others who will jump at the chance to exercise authority, those willing to be an extension of you, those who have the company at heart, who see themselves as part of the company, those wanting to see it succeed. Bring them close, teach them, and when you progress they will be the ones who will take over from you. There is nothing as distressing as listening to a retiree complaining that all the work he has done over many years is being destroyed by incompetent and unwilling associates. When delegation is done properly, the organization can continue on the path laid out for it, much like Moses and Joshua and Caleb.
When Moses died, he had a trained leader ready to take over from him – someone he had raised and trained into that position, someone to whom he had over time delegated his authority and who had proved his loyalty, someone who knew where to go and what to do, that was Joshua, and after Joshua had accomplished his task, he was succeeded by Caleb, another loyal devotee who had trodden in Moses’ wake, learning and growing in the ways of the Lord, ensuring continuity and progress.
The same can be said of the relationship between Paul and Timothy. Paul had seen something in Timothy and drawn him into the inner circle, training hi, until he was ready to take over, giving him more and more responsibility as time went by until he was able to stand on his own two feet and establish his own ministry which formed part of the greater vision of a universal Christian church.
When it comes to delegating, it is important to look to the future, to know what the team will need, who will be able to fulfil those needs, who can be trusted with the well-being of the company?
For three years, Jesus trained His disciples, preparing them to take over from Him when He ascended into heaven. Throughout His ministry on earth His following varied in size, of the thousands fed with five loaves and two fishes only one hundred and twenty were left in the upper room on the day of Pentecost, but they were enough. The thousands did not have the staying power of the one hundred and twenty, nor did they have the willingness to look past their present circumstances and see the bigger picture. The thousands were concerned with themselves and not the Kingdom. To those that stayed and found themselves in the upper room, Jesus delegated His authority, His name, vision and ability. He had laid the foundation and it was for them to build on it.
Even as the Son of God, He never allowed status and ability to undermine the kingdom, encouraging His disciples to do more and go further than He did:
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. (John 14:12)