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Podcast Episode 9 – You Don’t Have to Do Everything

This week’s episode builds on Monday’s article on the same topi: learning to delegate. Here is the transcript of the podcast:

Have you ever worn yourself out doing something by yourself because no one else will do it, or because they will not do it as well as you know it needs to be done?  I have, and on today’s episode, that’s the question we are going to explore.  It’s really the question of control, of whether or not we are willing to relinquish control and to ask, assign, or allow someone else to do something.  Therefore, we’re going to talk about the importance of delegating.

In the first few months of my first experience as Head of School, I was confronted with this lesson.  And I mean that literally – my boss confronted me about it.  I was young, and although I had administrative experience, it had been in a supporting role.  I had never had my own administrative assistant before, and I was used to doing all the detail work on my own in order for my necessary tasks to be done, and to be done well.  But now I was the Head of 

School, with an administrative assistant.  In spite of that, I was doing my own detail work – preparing and printing documents, managing my calendar, and running errands for myself.  It didn’t take long before my boss called me into his office to tell me I needed to delegate to my assistant.  I felt guilty about handing off work that I could do myself . . . until he reminded me that there was other work that I needed to be doing that she couldn’t, and therefore I needed to give her work that she could do for me, so I could focus on the other things that only I could do.  He also reminded me that by not delegating many of these things to her, I was preventing her from doing her job well, which was not fair to her.  

The truth is, you cannot do it all.  Exodus 18 paints a picture of this with Moses when we see him handling ALL of the legal disputes and cases.  His father-in-law pointed out to him that it was a pace he could not maintain, and explained how the end result would be bad for both Moses and the people.  In the same way, if you are leading an organization, you are not and should not be a one-man show.  And so, you need to be willing to delegate.  Other people have skills that you do not have (or they need to be able to learn those skills), or they have specific responsibilities that are part of their duties, and so it is important that you not get in the way of that, for their sake as well as yours.  You also need to be willing to let them do it even if you don’t think they can do it as well as you.  First of all, humility is a much better character trait than arrogance, so accept that you might not be as good as you think, and they might be better than you think.  Second of all, they cannot learn and grow the way that they need to if they are not given the opportunity to try and to make mistakes. 

This boils down to the fact that the ability – and the willingness – to delegate is an important and necessary skill. Remember, It’s not just important for you, it’s also important for them. In your leadership, you need to be looking for three things:

  • Those things that should be done by someone else, because that person is better at it than you, or that person has the responsibility to do it, and you don’t.
  • Those things that can be done by someone else, and be done well enough, in order to free you to put more focus on things that are more important for you to do. 

  • Those things that ought to be given by you to someone else, so that you can be intentional about giving them opportunities for growth.

Here’s what you need to take away:  If you don’t learn to delegate appropriately, both your leadership and your personal well-being will suffer.  You will likely burn out, cause others to feel unvalued or inconsequential, and your work will become less effective and less excellent.  As my dad would say, sometimes it costs less to pay someone else to do something than to do it yourself.  In this case, it will likely cost you more to do it yourself than it would if you were to delegate.

So, it’s time to self-reflect and identify where, why, and how you need to begin delegating.  If you already are, that’s wonderful, but if you are not, then go back to three things you need to look for:  what should be done by someone else, what can be done by someone else, and what you ought to give to someone else.  Then take your first step, and delegate.

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Delegate Like Moses

I am not a micro-manager, nor do I try to do everything.  I have learned (sometimes in humiliating fashion) that there are many who have far more knowledge and much greater ability than I do.  And so I have also learned the value of asking questions and letting other people do what they do well.  At times, though, that has not prevented me from trying to control, manage, or do everything, usually because of the mistaken assumption that only I can do what needs to be done in the way it needs to be done.  The result, typically, is that I become exhausted or overwhelmed, others are deprived of the opportunity to grow and excel, and there are things that get missed, all because I did not delegate.

Exodus 18:13-27 provides a fantastic example of the lesson of delegation.  What’s described in this passage is the story of how Moses, the leader of Israel’s exodus from Egypt, was hard at work doing what leaders often do:  managing conflict.  His father-in-law came to visit and observed Moses’ leadership activity, and this is what he saw: 1) Moses was the primary decision-maker, and 2) it was consuming him (v. 13).  In fact, it is worth noting that he was so committed to the task of ministry that he was unable to tend to his family (verse 2 says that Moses had sent his wife and children to stay with her parents during this time).  When his father-in-law observed this, he decided to step in, paint a picture of what was happening, and provide some counsel to teach Moses the value of delegating.

A verse-by-verse analysis of that passage in Exodus provides a wealth of information that helps us understand this principle of delegation.  First, we see the problem with Moses’ failure to delegate (vv. 14-16), and the resulting impact (vv. 17-18). Moses’ method of leadership revealed:

  1. Micro-management – he was trying to do it all, by himself;
  2. Over-commitment – it was consuming his entire day, to the neglect of other needs;
  3. Self-importance – he believed he was the only one who could do it; and
  4. Spiritual justification – he justified his behavior as an important task for God.

The effect of this method included:

  1. Collateral damage – it impacted the people around him who were trying to help;
  2. Burnout – he was literally wearing himself (and others) out;
  3. Over-burdened – he was carrying too much weight and responsibility, which would make him ineffective; and
  4. Isolation – he was trying to do all this by himself, which left him alone.

Then we see the proposed solution (vv. 19-22) and the expected benefit (vv. 22-23) of changing his method.  A change in leadership style, specifically by learning to delegate, would involve six components:

  1. Advocating – establishing himself as the representative of the people;
  2. Communicating – expressing expectations and instructions;
  3. Selecting – choosing additional leadership, people who were capable, had integrity, and feared God;
  4. Delegating – assigning tasks and responsibility;
  5. Empowering – providing the authority to serve and lead in the assigned roles; and
  6. Regulating – establishing the hierarchy, division of responsibilities, and process of managing and supervising.

The result of this type of delegation would make the work of the ministry much easier.  Because the load would be shared, it would produce these benefits for both Moses and the people:

  1. It would be God’s work, not Moses’ work;
  2. As a result, the direction would be more clear;
  3. The burden would be bearable; and
  4. The customers would be satisfied.

Moses did listen to his father-in-law (demonstrating a teachable spirit) and incorporated these suggestions into his leadership practice.  This passage in Exodus concludes with a description of how he did this, by selecting competent leaders and giving them their responsibilities. They fulfilled their responsibilities well, while Moses continued to manage the most difficult issues and conflicts.  This is a powerful lesson and example for us as leaders.  All too often, under the guise of “serving God,” we do too much and do it by ourselves, believing that this behavior is a mark of spirituality and a servant’s heart.  In reality, it makes us ineffective for God, and most of the time, it damages relationships (particularly those closest to us – our families).  Learning to delegate is a valuable principle and practice of leadership, demonstrated by Moses.  Let’s follow that example.

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