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Good leaders are often rewarded for their efforts with the opportunity to take on more responsibility. When they learn to excel at those additional responsibilities, they receive more opportunities to do more good work. This positive feedback loop generates excitement and energy — at least, until it doesn’t.
Eventually, our capacity to do more reaches its outer limit. At that point, leaders have at least two options. They can step out of the leadership role, or they can delegate authority to others.
Delegation is not simply a good management decision. Delegation, in both big and small congregations, is a strategically sound choice that has theological implications.
In Exodus 18, we read about a definitive moment in Moses’ life: one in which he learned a valuable lesson about delegation. When the Hebrews settled into their new life in the wilderness, Moses took on the responsibility of being their judge. As his workload increased, he put his head down and simply tried to increase his productivity. Watching Moses from a distance, his father-in-law Jethro saw what was happening. Jethro told Moses that what he was doing was not good. He was only going to wear himself out and short-circuit his effectiveness as a leader. He needed to delegate.
For a leader who has been effective on their own in the past, delegation can be a difficult shift to make. It requires humility and discernment. The key to effective delegation is to go beyond assigning tasks and redistributing ownership. People need to know more than what to do. They need to know why they’re doing it. This is true for both staff and volunteers. The idea is not to redistribute the work indiscriminately. We need to match the work to the person with the gifts and strengths that are needed to move the mission forward.
Resources
Better leadership through better listening
When leaders seek out and pay attention to unexpected voices, wisdom follows.
By Victoria Atkinson White
Who is responsible? Ideally, more than one person
Becoming too reliant on any single individual can challenge a system and require recalibrating for growth and adaptation to occur.
By David L. Odom
Podcast: ‘Invest in Your People’
Giving your employees the freedom to fail can unlock new skills and push boundaries, says an executive with over 20 years of experience.
Interview with David Armijo
Working better by working together
Leadership based on collaboration benefits everyone involved. And the work improves, too.
By Alaina Kleinbeck
Before you go
One of my first lessons in delegation taught me how important it is for people to have a sense of ownership and the right skills. After serving in my first pastorate for a year or so, the church decided to start a lunchtime Bible study. A few weeks into the new initiative, I noticed that a few of the retired members were bringing food so that people could eat lunch before they went back to work. As the new, eager pastor, I pulled one of the cooks aside to let her know we needed to make a schedule and get organized.
She looked at me and said, “Pastor, we’ve got this.” And she was absolutely right. She knew more about cooking and planning meals than I ever would. Like Moses, I was going to slow things down by trying to take on work that others could do. I focused on teaching, and the team of dedicated volunteers focused on feeding the flock. That dear woman who told me “We’ve got this” was my Jethro, and I’m so glad God used her to show me the wisdom of delegation.
You can always reach me and the Alban Weekly team at alban@duke.edu. Until next week, keep leading!
Prince R. Rivers
Editor, Alban at Duke Divinity