When time is right to delegate in business

In the book of Exodus, we read one of the most profound leadership weakness that Jethro spotted in Moses, his son in law.

“What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you and you cannot handle it alone.”

In this incidence recorded in Exodus 18, Jethro visits Moses in the wilderness and is impressed with Moses success as a leader of God’s people. But he gets concerned Moses was sitting from sun-up to sun-down handling people’s affairs with no time to rest.

When he asks Moses why he was torturing himself that way, Moses was quick to depend himself.” “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will. Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me and I decide between the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and laws.”

Jethro taught Moses the principle of delegation in leadership. He told him to choose assistants to handle most of the affairs so that he can only focus on the most complex ones and have time for his family and other important things.

In modern times we have leaders like Moses who spend all time in the office managing the affairs of their business solely. They are hardly left with any time for their family or personal development.

The challenge is business growth and success is a process and not an event that you can feel when it lands. Thus you may not know exactly when you need to get helpers to ease your burden and increase efficiency. But there are signs that should tell you it’s time to let go.

First, you feel overwhelmed and fatigued most of the time. You feel you have so much to do and so little time that every time you are in overdrive mode.

Second, the administrative work of your farm is dragging your speed. You have to be in office most of the time to manage issues such as customer affairs, process payments, make orders, book appointments and handle staff affairs.

Third, you spend most your time on things that can be done by someone else at a less cost.

Fourth, your feel you are not maximising on your strengths and potential; you find you are doing some of the things that you are not good at but which must be done nevertheless. For example, your strength is in marketing but you have to do other things such as accounting and procurement because they are core elements of business.

So how do you get out of this rut.

Back to Moses and Jethro. Moses confessed that one of reasons he was handling all affairs was he was the only one who knew the will and the laws of God.

Jethro advised him to teach his appointees the basic laws so that they can work in his stead. Moses them focused on writing down the laws God that are still the foundation of both Christian and Islam scriptures and traditions.

Therefore, as a leader document your vision, mission, business processes and various operation manuals and guidelines to help your employees support you well.

Mr Kiunga is author of ‘The Art of Entrepreneurship: Strategies to Succeed in a Competitive Market’. [email protected]