Why You Might Struggle With Delegating

When you are a leader, there is a burden to carry, but to hold on to that alone is not smart. When you put it on yourself, you limit yourself which can be exhausting. If you hold onto all control in your ministry, you’ll not only wear yourself out but limit your impact on bringing others to Christ.

If we want to release that burden, we need to delegate, but if you are like me, that’s easier said than done. See, I’m a control freak. I like to believe that I can let go and give other people the lead, but the reality is that I have expectations, and when if not met, I panic. I worry that if a task or project is not complete with some type of excellence that all blame will fall on me. I have to remember that burnout is a lot worse and the risk of allowing other people to lead is worth it because when you delegate you effectively:

• Expand your capacity to do more
• Activate other people’s passions and gifts
• Enjoy the community that comes with serving

If you are tired of doing things alone and want to share the vision, then you have to remember to:

PRACTICE LETTING OTHERS TAKE THE WHEEL

You can read as much as you like about delegation, but the secret behind perfecting it is practice. The more you practice delegating, the better you will become at:

• Communicating clear instruction
• Identifying who is gifted to lead
• Learning about your strengths and weaknesses

I know it might sound intimidating to hand over responsibility to someone that isn’t you, and that’s why you have to start with small steps. Find someone you feel like will be honest with you and not easily overwhelmed by the responsibility. At the same time, acknowledge your own emotions and feelings. Remind yourself it’s a process, and that failure is not the end. Start small and grow from there.

GET OUT OF THE WAY AND STAY INVESTED

We tend to believe that delegating means letting go of responsibility and hoping the other person succeeds without us interfering. Delegating isn’t completely letting go. The goal of appointing tasks is to surround yourself with high functioning leaders that can act independently. To get to that point, you need to make sure you:

• Show them how you would take on the task and give them explicit instruction
• Allow them to ask questions about your methods and ask them questions about how they might approach it differently
• Allow them to take on the task, observe their efforts and debrief afterward

You still have to manage someone even after you give them responsibility because they’ll need the support if they hit a challenge or want to make changes. Your continued investment will help them grow stronger as a leader.

GO FOR LEVELS OF LEADERSHIP

You aren’t the only one who should be delegating; in fact, it’s good when you have leaders who empower others. When you empower others, it means you are building your bench, which means when someone is not available to lead or moves on; you have the next leader waiting to be called up. If you want levels of leadership, you not only need to delegate responsibility but mission, vision, and values. You want to make sure your leadership teams understand the BIG WHY and know their expectations.

As you pass on the responsibility of leadership don’t forget that it’s a gift. Leadership is something that we’re given by God and we need to be wise with how we use it. When you delegate you are sharing your leadership, by allowing others to take ownership you are allowing God to be more a part of it because He works through all people.

What’s your biggest challenge when it comes to delegation?

If you are looking for help building your team check out our How Deep Is Your Bench resource:

How Deep Is Your Bench Exercise