Delegation – A Key to Growth

Written by Tracy

by Steve Marr

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Effective delegation is one of the more difficult but necessary responsibilities for business managers. By hiring the right people, training them well, and then delegating responsibility, your business will grow. If, instead, you rely on your own ability and what you can accomplish in your own power, you will ultimately stifle the growth of your business and fail to develop the strength of your employees.

When Moses led the Israelites toward the Promised Land, he made every decision himself – and he judged every dispute between the people. When his father-in-law heard what was going on, he told Moses, “You will surely wear out, both yourself and these people who are with you, for the task is too heavy for you – you can not do it alone” (Exodus 18:18 NASB). Moses followed his father-in-law’s wise advice and appointed leaders, delegating responsibility for judging disputes, with the condition that the difficult cases would still be brought to him (see Exodus 18:26).

If you are like most business leaders – and Moses – you have a built-in belief that you can do any job better than someone else, and that delegating responsibility will result in shoddier execution. However, if you try to do everything yourself, you will burn out, become ineffective, and choke the very business you want to grow.

Effective delegation starts with hiring the right team. Identify the skill-set necessary for success in your business and hire wisely. Comprehensive training and instruction is the next step in successful delegation. In giving Moses instructions for the design of the tabernacle, God told him to “make them after the pattern . . . [that] was shown to you on the mountain” (Exodus 25:40 NASB). A pattern is a device by which you can ensure that every item produced will be of the same quality. Likewise, your staff will only perform as well as they are trained.

Establishing clear guidelines is important. As Moses told his leaders to bring the hard cases to him, you must make sure that your staff knows which issues to bring to you. As time goes on, you should be able to release more responsibility and grant more decision-making authority to others. When mistakes are made, use them as teaching opportunities.

Two primary obstacles will keep us from effective delegation: fear and control. Often we’re afraid that if we trust others, they will fail and our business will fail. However, if our businesses are to grow, we must learn to delegate responsibility and authority without fear. As the apostle Paul writes to Timothy, “God has not given us a spirit of fear” (2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV).

As humans, we also struggle with our desire to control every aspect of our lives. But if Jesus Christ is the center of our lives, we should have already settled the issue of control. God is in control – we’re not. When we delegate effectively, no longer grasping for control of every business detail, we demonstrate our understanding that all earthly authority is delegated authority, and God is ultimately in charge.

Delegation is not abdication of responsibility. Effective managers delegate while maintaining responsibility to ensure that staff members are performing effectively. Without interfering, effective managers see to it that policies and procedures are being followed and customers are well served.

by author, speaker, and business consultant Steve Marr
Visit his web site at www.stevemarr.org