March 2010
Men’s Ministry Best Practices: Delegating: The Key to Implementing your Plan
Avoiding Common Failures by Steve Johnson
One of the best pieces of advice I have ever heard came from a leader who always seemed to ‘pull-off’ his ministry strategic plans without a hitch. Knowing that implementing a plan when its success depended upon the commitment of a group of men is easier said than done, I asked him what the secret to his success was. He said, “Insight is important, but it doesn’t create change. What creates change is action. Action is entirely dependent upon a leader’s ability to delegate.”
He went on to explain that, in addition to creating his plan, he looked for individuals on his team that could completely handle various parts of the plan. He broke down his plan into three segments:
- Those parts of the plan that required creativity and flexibility
- Those parts of the plan that required implementation
- Those parts of the plan that required oversight and management
Since he had already built his team with the gift areas of creativity, development, and management, he had an idea of who would best fit each planning element as his team was in the process of creating the plan. Once he delegated the various planning elements to the man who was best suited to the tasks, he then gave each one (what he called the most important dynamic of delegation) complete oversight, responsibility, and decision-making ability. Because he had complete faith in his team and their respective gifts and character, he was able, as he said, to “let go and watch it happen.” This reduced his stress level and tendency to control each step of the process, which in the past had caused him to ‘micro-manage’ his team (they weren’t happy with that). Now that they fully participated in the process, he had a happier team and a more successful implementation.
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