| 3
DELEGATION
The kingdom
of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone
took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest
of all seeds, but when it has grown it is the
greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree.
—Matthew 13:31
There are many examples of delegation
throughout the Scriptures. For, instance while
leading his people in the wilderness, a major
portion of Moses' day was spent settling disputes
among his followers. Observing this, his father-in-law,
Jethro, advised him to delegate. In Exodus 18:17-27,
Jethro told Moses to stop wearing himself out
by attempting to do everything himself. He suggested
that Moses surround himself with able, trustworthy
men and appoint them to manage others. These trusted
individuals would serve as judges on trivial matters
and only important matters would be presented
to Moses. “You are placing too much burden
upon yourself by attempting to do everything,”
Jethro warned.
In the way that Moses had initially failed to
delegate, many sole proprietors also overburden
themselves. And they too wear themselves out with
a heavy task. Conversely, successful owners of
companies employing many people take advantage
of leverage, which permits them to accomplish
considerably more. They do this by delegating
responsibilities. Jesus also recognized that he
could accomplish more by delegating to others.
In Matthew 10, Jesus authorized his twelve disciples
to cast out unclean spirits and to cure disease
and sickness. They were instructed to neither
solicit Gentiles nor enter any town of the Samaritans,
but instead go to the lost sheep in the house
of Israel. Jesus asked them to proclaim the good
news: “The kingdom of heaven has come near.”
Their mission was to cure the sick, raise the
dead, cleanse the lepers, and to cast out demons.
Jesus did not pay his disciples and said they
should not accept any payments for their work.
And when they entered a town or village, they
should find out who in it was worthy and who was
not.
Jesus' disciples were ordinary men from diverse
occupations--a fisherman might sit at his feet
beside a tax collector. Most importantly, they
were good men whom he trusted and gave enormous
responsibility. Through the scripture I have learned
to delegate responsibility to individuals based
on their attitude, work ethic, and principles.
I believe it comes down to trusting the right
people--those who have integrity, loyalty, and
commitment. I look for these qualities before
I place people in leadership roles. While there
may be other candidates with better resumes, I
listen carefully to what a person receives in
his heart. Through conversation, what he is receiving
in the Gospel comes out. Luke 6:45 says that a
good person speaks from the heart, and if we listen
carefully, we will pick up on this. With this
in mind, what a person is internalizing means
more to me than their credentials.
Several times, we hired people who looked good
on paper but didn't work out. On the other hand,
we've put good, solid businesspeople into positions
even when they didn't have all the necessary technical
skills. We believed they had good core business
principles and understood how to work with people.
Once on the job, nearly everyone learns the necessary
technological skills.
In Matthew 13:31, a parable of Jesus is quoted:
“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard
seed that someone took and sowed in his field.
It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has
grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes
a tree.” A businessperson delegates assignments
to people, and like the planting of a small mustard
seed that becomes a tree and branches out, the
work blossoms and multiplies. Great organizations
blossom through the efforts of many.
In the beginning, the owner of a small start-up
company may have no one to delegate to. Consequently,
the owner does everything--from secretarial chores
to selling and servicing customers. Later, when
he employs workers, he has become so accustomed
to doing everything himself that he finds it hard
to delegate. He thinks, “If I want it done
right, I need to do it myself.” As a result,
they end up delegating only menial assignments,
keeping meaningful responsibilities for themselves.
I understand it's not easy for an entrepreneur
to let go: He has already developed his own personal
way of doing things. Frequently this is because
a company owner lets his ego get in his way and
believes nobody can match his expertise--especially
in a business he built from scratch. I have a
special word for this attitude that I call “edgo.”
It means edging God out. I say, “Better
to let go and let God.” To grow a business,
you can't let false pride govern you. As Proverbs
16:18 says, “Pride goes before destruction,
and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
At some point, you have to let go and trust your
people. You sow the seed of trust by giving trust.
I truly believe delegation begins with trusting
others--followed by letting go. In a sizeable
company, a good leader must trust key individuals
to assume responsibility for various segments
of the business. Only in this way can strong partnership
relationships be built. Through this trust and
confidence a company can grow exponentially. Once
the owner relaxes his or her tight grip on operations,
that small mustard seed grows and branches out.
As CEO, I must surround myself with specialists
from different areas who have expertise that exceeds
mine, and I must rely on their advice. This requires
me to have explicit trust in these individuals,
because I must rely on them to operate their own
organizations within the company. With everyone
aboard sharing a vision, our mutual plan serves
as our roadmap into the future. Our company has
a matrix that allows us to use an effective reporting
system to measure and monitor each organization's
success for profitability. At weekly finance meetings,
we review every department of the company. This
way, everyone can pull together and receive support
from others. Although I bring wise counsel together
to determine what is in the best interest of the
organization, as CEO, I am responsible for the
final decision.
(Click
here to view this chapter in PDF.)
|
