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Stewardship Delegation: The Great Multiplier

by Rodger Dean Duncan and Ed J. Pinegar

Great leaders delegate effectively because they have a clear vision of two things: accomplishing the work and helping their people grow.

Delegation is a core principle of Heavenly Father’s plan.

Delegation was used in every step of the creation.

Delegation was used in every phase of the Savior’s earthly ministry.

Delegation is the principle through which the restoration occurred.

Delegation is the leadership principle used to accomplish the Lord’s purposes throughout the Church today.

And yet delegation is frequently misunderstood and often misapplied.

In observing a servant who is overloaded with work, most of us have heard (or even made) comments such as “He should delegate more” or “Why doesn’t she learn to delegate?” The assumption seems to be that the trick to delegation is simply turning work over to someone else and suddenly being free of that responsibility.

But it’s a mistake to regard delegation as simply the ability to get someone else to do your job. When we treat delegation as no more than shifting responsibility, we communicate to the other person a dangerous message: “You’ll be doing me a big favor if you’ll complete this assignment.” Then your co-worker feels free either to carry out the task or to leave it incomplete.

Where there’s no sense of psychological ownership of a task, there’s little incentive to get it done.

As any good leader can attest, delegation won’t necessarily give you more time immediately. Especially at the start, delegation requires careful thought, communication, commitment and focus. At the very beginning, delegation may require even more of your time than if you had done the delegated task yourself.

In the long run, however, you should expect delegation to give you time for other matters. And of course in addition to facilitating the accomplishment of work, effective delegation develops others by giving them the opportunity to serve, to learn new skills, to stretch their wings, to build their confidence and broaden their competence.

Delegation Implies Trust

With delegation comes stewardship. A stewardship is a job with a trust. When an assignment is delegated to us, we are entrusted with that assignment.

With every delegated stewardship, certain authority, power and trust are bestowed. When the principle of delegation is properly practiced, everyone benefits: the person who delegates the task or assignment, the person who receives the delegated stewardship, and the people who are blessed by the service rendered.

Knowing When to “Let Go”

Even if he or she is clearly the most qualified for a task, a good leader must be disciplined enough to “let go.”

For example, one bishop we know, by virtue of his previous callings and experience, is an excellent administrator. He is exceptionally strong with organizational details, familiar with nearly every computer program used in the Church and able to put together statistical reports quickly and efficiently. Yet he understands that in his new role as bishop he is president of the Aaronic Priesthood in his ward.

Today his stewardship focus is on increasing the spiritual strength and resilience of the ward’s youth. Administrative details, which he loved in previous assignments, must now be delegated to his executive secretary and clerks. Those “detail” assignments are no less important than they were when he had them, but the bishop shares those burdens with people who are properly qualified and authorized to help carry the load.

Regardless of the assignment, this same principle of delegation applies.

Why, then, do many leaders not delegate? Here are what seem to be the most common excuses given:

(1) “I just can’t rely on my people to do the job the way I want it done.”

(2) “It’s easier and faster to do the job myself than to delegate it.”

(3) “It’s frustrating not to have something done the right way the first time.”

On the other hand, most of us have observed leaders who are always calm and collected, who seem to be in control of every situation, who manage to involve their people in nearly every phase of the work, and whose team members seem fulfilled and energized by their labor.

These are the leaders who understand and practice effective delegation.

Quotes Worth Remembering

Church leaders must delegate responsibility or perish under a mountain of administrative detail that no mortal man can bear.
– Bruce R. McConkie

Any good leader knows, however, that delegation won’t necessarily give him more free time immediately. In the long run, effective delegation should give the leader more time for other matters, but in the short time frame, it may involve an even greater time commitment.
– William G. Dyer

…in order to have the fruits of organized effort, we must have leadership; and in order to have leadership we must delegate some authority, because leadership without authority is ineffective.
– Richard L. Evans

They (the Bishops) cannot do it all themselves. They have counselors to whom they can and must delegate. In so doing, they will bless themselves and their people.
– Gordon B. Hinckley

In the final analysis, effective delegation takes the emotional courage to allow, to one degree or another, others to make some mistakes …This courage consists of patience, self-control, faith in others and in their potential, and respect for individual differences.
– Stephen R. Covey

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