Delegation: The Power of Empowerment
We often write blogposts here that lean heavily into individual’s spiritual growth. Afterall, your spiritual journey is what dictates how your entire eternity will play out — that means it’s kind of important. But today our topic bridges the gap that lies between personal spiritual development and the application, implication, and inspiration of that development.
Think of it like this — you can have all the tools in your toolbox, but they are only as useful as the time they spend making a difference. One of the tools God modeled for us and wants us to use is delegation. It is defined as “Entrusting (a task or responsibility) to another person”
Let’s take a quick look at why that is so important.
Jesus was, is, and always will be the Savior of the world, (see I told you we are still spiritual) but in his incredible relatability as Jesus, the man that walked this earth, we see his leadership provided even practical ways to grow. Delegation wasn’t just a neat idea to Jesus or the disciples, it was vital to their ministry and the furtherment of the gospel. See Luke 10:1-23 and Mark 10:1-4.
So, let’s dive into the eight things you’ll find wherever delegation is absent.
Burnout - Burnout is when you’ve exhausted your ability to keep going. Burnout begins when you pour out more than you fill up. After awhile the reality sets in like a bad sunburn — You don’t feel it immediately, but when you do, it’s already too late. You are in for a world of pain. You can hardly move when you’re badly sunburnt, and you’re often drained of the energy and giddy-up that drove you through tough days. Burnout works the same way. It’s hard to move your work and tasks along, let alone having energy to take care of heavier responsibilities. But if you delegate tasks and responsibilities long before you start to “burn”, you get a nice tan and some well deserved relaxation. Delegation can stop you from experiencing burnout.
Frustration - Those within your sphere of influence often want to help. They want to use the gifts God has given them, but they need someone to commission them and believe in them. Samuel commissioned David, Paul commissioned Timothy, Moses commissioned Joshua, just to mention a few. When you have people around you, use them or lose them. Frustration brews inside the heart that isn’t utilized or acknowledged. Frustration also brews inside the leader that feels like those around them don’t pull their weight. Don’t feed frustration by missing opportunities anoint, commission, and empower those around you to step into their giftings. You may need them more than you know.
Lack of Participation - Have you ever planned something and spent a lot of time and effort only to have very little participation once the day arrived? It’s a huge bummer. It’s incredible how much life, buzz, and excitement that can be generated when there’s more than one person’s brainpower and ideas involved. People take ownership in what you give them. So, give it to them! The people you let onto your teams will have a plethora of creativity you need and perspectives you haven’t even thought of. When you pass the responsibility and liberty needed for people to flourish, you won’t ever need to fabricate participation. People will take ownership. People will buy-in just like you and spread the word. Proverbs 15:22 - "Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed."
Lack of Structure - Organization is not a natural gift for many. It can be the ‘Achilles heel’ of many churches, corporations, and events. When you don’t delegate properly you begin to miss things. When you begin to miss things, you miss impacting people, and that is the real tragedy. Capable people stick where there’s structure and a clearly defined path for growth. Not to mention, leadership that holds to the vision they’ve cast. You don’t have to look far in the book of Nehemiah to see the organizational miracle that was the walls of Jerusalem. Nehemiah 2:11-16 outlines how Nehemiah assessed the damage before speaking and then surveyed his options. In chapter three, Nehemiah delegated and gave the people clear tasks and explained the vision. Form always follows function.
Pride - Oh boy…*sigh*…get ready. Here’s the truth — when you follow the rope of no delegation back to its origin, it is almost always found tied to an anchor of pride. We may not like to admit it (I’m preachin’ to myself) but not delegating stems from thinking we have to do it all, or that we do it better and quicker than everyone else in the room. That may be true, but what if your mentors and leaders thought the same way? Even if you are not a leader in the classic sense, you are definitely the leader over your family, and pride will destroy your influence, image, and trustworthiness with them. Don’t fall for the lies — you are not always the best, you don’t need all the credit, and you are not a failure by letting others step up and shine.
Dilution of Impact - Dilution means to make something weaker. Pouring out what God has given me is what I am meant to do, but when I am trying to pour out more than I can give, I begin weakening my impact (not to mention, flirting with burnout). God doesn’t want me to pour out alone. We are all created to operate as the Church made of many parts, as stated in 1 Corinthians 12:12-27. The body of Christ isn’t a one-trick-pony. But if we do not delegate, we simultaneously rob people of their opportunities to grow in their giftings while diluting our own impact. If I don’t hand things over, I am limited to the the power of one — myself. However, when I decide to hand things over, I am now multiplying my impact and thinking with a Kingdom centered mindset. I inadvertently dilute my impact the more I try to do it alone. Spreading yourself thin over a large area may look nice on the surface, but so does thin ice, and thin ice can’t hold much.
Trust Issues - Not being able to trust the people around you is rough, but many times it’s more about our own personal trust issues and trauma than it is about the people we refuse to trust. All environments settle to the level of the trust given and received. You cannot outgrow, supersede, or outwork a lack of trust. It will always catch up to you. Where there is little to no trust, there is little to no delegation. Delegation is all about entrusting others. If you equip them, set the standards, and model the way things should be done, you might be be surprised how well things end up. Trust takes time, so start building it by delegating small things and championing them once they succeed. You can do this with your children as well. Celebrate the wins and be quick to show mercy when things aren’t done perfect. Delegation includes teaching moments, failing forward, and seeing growth over time.
Insecurity - This last hallmark of no delegation is more rampant today than ever before. Insecure people crave approval. They yearn for the spotlight that comes with achievement, success, and getting things done. Insecurity is often paired with a few other things already mentioned in this list — pride, frustration, and trust issues. If insecure leaders delegated well, how would they receive the praise? This is a dangerous and unpredictable trait in leadership especially. One that should be identified quickly before things nosedive. Insecurity begins and ends with understanding the identity that we have in Christ and not the world. It’s not about being the strongest leader, it’s about being the most submissive servant to Jesus that we can be. The first shall be last and the last shall be first. Insecurity brews in the water of inadequacy. When someone feels inadequate, they overcompensate by trying to build their image and list of accolades to make them feel adequate. Insecurity soon drips into their cups at the smallest moments of a perceived challenge from someone else, and they often respond in anger, deceit, or denial. Your worth is not found in your worldy achievments; it’s found in Christ.
Jesus had the twelve, he sent the seventy-two, he delegated and commissioned people to do the work of the ministry.
If Jesus did it, why shouldn’t we?