3 Things Great Leaders Delegate

President Ronald Reagan once said, "Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don't interfere as long as the policy you've decided upon is being carried out."

But for many leaders, delegation is a real, actual struggle. So many times, we see delegation in two lights:

•  If I delegate this, people will think I am trying to get out of work or that I'm being lazy. And no one follows a lazy leader.
• I can't delegate this because it's too important and someone else can't do this at the same level that I can.

While there are times where these excuses might be valid, more times than not our lack of delegation is an issue with us as leaders, instead of the people, volunteers, or employees in our organization.

So if we're supposed to delegate, what should we as leaders be delegating. MOST leaders delegate tasks. They simply hand of something from their over-stuffed to-do-list to someone in the organization. But GREAT leaders delegate more than tasks. 

3 Things Great Leaders Delegate

#1: Authority. Great leaders realize that you can't just delegate a to-do list. If you want to put your people in a place to succeed, you have to delegate authority as well. A task list without the authority to accomplish the mission of the organization while completing those tasks is a recipe for disaster.

#2: Responsibility. Great leaders also understand that you must delegate responsibility. If we delegate tasks, but anytime failure is at the doorstep, we become a "run-to-the-rescue" leader, then we're not allowing the people in our organization to really grow as leaders. We have to be willing to delegate responsibility, and place that responsibility for success and failure in the hands of those who follow us.

#3: Praise. Far beyond tasks, authority, and responsibility, great leaders understand that the most important thing we can delegate as leaders is praise. When delegation takes place and the outcome is a win, great leaders are sure to pass the praise down, making sure those they lead receive credit for a job well done.

Pastor Andy Stanley puts it this way: Don’t strive to be a well-rounded leader. Instead, discover your zone and stay there. Then delegate everything else.

As leaders, we have to learn that delegation is dynamite that can explode our organizations to the next level by allowing others to take ownership. So don't just delegate "stuff"...delegate the right stuff!

3 Simple Ministry Reminders

There are times when ministry and leadership in the church can be incredibly difficult. And then there are times where we as leaders make it more difficult than it actually is. With that in mind, I wanted to pass along 3 simple reminders that have helped me in the past few months to simplify my ministry leadership.

3 Simple Ministry Reminders

#1: Remember Your Mission. As a church planter, pastor or leader in the church, our mission is what should drive everything we do. And in a culture obsessed with catchy vision statements and overloaded with the next new way to convey your mission to your team, our mission really is very simple. In Luke 19:10, Jesus lays out His mission, the reason why he came and lived among us with this statement: "For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost." That's the simple, clarifying mission of Jesus. And if we're following Him, it ought to be our mission as well.

#2: Remember Your Calling. Before you were ever called to a ministry, a church, or a mission, you were called to Jesus. Our primary calling is not something to do, but something to be: Children of God. One of the fastest ways to lose sight of this calling is to begin to listen to all of the criticism and complaints about your ministry/church/program/whatever. I've heard it said that listening to what others say about you is the fastest way to forget what God thinks about you. And that simply sidetracks us from the calling God's placed on our lives. Remember who you are and whose you are.

#3: Remember Romans 12:15. In Romans 12:15, Paul simply states: "Rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn." There are tons of helpful ministry tips, tricks, and tools of the trade available in our culture. The opportunity for growing in your skills and ability to minister to, lead, and reach people are endless in the Western church framework. But don't miss out on the basics. If you'll learn to practice Romans 12:15 with the families and people God gives you to steward, you'll make ministry investments that are life-changing and kingdom-impacting. It sounds simple, but it's incredibly powerful.

As church leaders, our battle is fierce and our enemy is relentless. Let's not make it more difficult by missing the basics. I'd love to hear from you, so feel free to leave a comment and share your top simple ministry reminder!