Delegation

I listened to, "Nothing But the Blood," by Andy Cherry, this evening. This is a popular hymn. Andy Cherry does it in a faster beat and more modern version.

"What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Oh, precious is the flow that makes me white as snow. No other fount I know. Nothing but the blood of Jesus."

There is nothing we can do on our own to earn salvation. Only through Jesus can we get to heaven. "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6, NIV)

The central reference for this evening is Exodus 18:21-22: "But select capable men from all the people--men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain--and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you." (NIV)

Delegation is an important skill that all leaders must acquire and fine-tune. As the leader, you can handle various situations, but you cannot do everything solo. You will need help.

You must be able to delegate effectively, though. Maxwell provides a succession of steps that we should follow in order to be effective in our delegation (the steps are directly quoted):

1. Ask them to be fact finders only.
2. Ask them to make suggestions.
3. Ask them to implement one of their recommendations, but only after you give your approval.
4. Ask them to take action on their own, but to report the results immediately.
5. Give complete authority.

Throughout the process, you are aiming for step 5. However, you cannot simply jump straight to that step. It will take training before an individual is prepared enough to handle the responsibility responsibly. In the beginning, they should just collect information. From there, you can ask how they may handle the situation. If one of their ideas sounds effective, allow them to implement it. As other situations arise, give them a little more freedom and allow them to implement a solution without your direct consent, but require that they come straight to you with what they did and how the situation resolved. If they are effective, you may then give them full authority because they have proven that they can handle situations on their own. However, if you see that they are not effective, do not go to step 5. Give them some more training. Make sure they are ready before you let them go on their own.

Maxwell asks, "How can you implement these steps into your life right now?" What situations are you presented with where you can delegate and lift some weight off of your shoulders? If you recognize a situation such as this, try delegation. I will warn you, though, do not delegate to simply put off your responsibilities. Delegation is a tool, not an escape route. Use it responsibly and effectively.

God bless you!