“You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.”
Exodus 18:18
“You must multiply yourselves through others. You cannot do the job alone.” – George B. Wright, Sr.
One of the greatest lessons of leadership is found in the story of Moses, one of history’s greatest leaders.
Moses often dealt with seemingly never-ending lines of people wanting to see him.
Seeing this day after day, Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, offered him some unsolicited, but incredibly valuable advice. “This isn’t good,” Jethro said to Moses. “Not only will you eventually burn out, but the people will become increasingly frustrated” (my paraphrase).
That’s when he taught Moses about delegation in leadership – a valuable key to success for any leader.
Thankfully, Moses was humble enough to listen to his father-in-law’s advice and he began choosing leaders according to their abilities. He trained them on how to respond to the needs of the people, placed them in positions of authority, and gave them the responsibility to get the job done. The toughest issues Moses told his team to bring to him. This was a turning point in Moses’ leadership. You can read the full story in Exodus 18:13-27. It really is one of the greatest leadership stories.
Of course, no one better exemplified this sentiment than Jesus Christ. Jesus chose His twelve disciples, taught them, demonstrated how to live, and finally commissioned them to go into the world in His name.
And sure enough, those twelve men changed the world.
If you’re looking for a leadership example, look to Jesus and how He led through delegation.
Written by Bryant Wright, Founder, RFTH
DIG DEEPER
Read “An Upside-Down World” by Jonathan Munson