Delegation has many levels. I want to make it clear that the level of delegation one receives does not correlate with one's testimony alone, but you must also consider family responsibilities, school, health, experience, comfort, and need from both s/he who delegates and receiver. It is best to start off simple, especially with new callings/responsibilities, and in time give others more stewardship over the area.
Direct Delegation
Direct delegation is asking for help with a very specific task. This is mostly used with someone who is very new or uncomfortable or even extremely preoccupied with other things. In these instances it is best to use numbers as to avoid making the other person fear failure. For example, "Buy and bring 60 cookies to the ward activity this Friday at 6pm. Bring me the receipt and I'll get you reimbursed." Many of these tasks may not need a "return and report," but would be well worth showing appreciation. Even though many may feel those small things don't matter, one less thing to worry about can make a huge difference.
Flexible Delegation
Flexible delegation is asking medium to large tasks, but providing enough information and guidance to help them succeed. Let's say I am in charge of planning activities. Through council meetings, prayer, and consideration I have come up with a list of activities and dates to schedule them. I would then delegate one of these activities out to one of my committee members.
Let's say I want to throw a pool party. I have the date already set and scheduled, the activity decided. I let the person know my vision for the activity, for instance, focusing on new members. I would also explain what work still needs to be done, such as finding a place, figuring out food, and how to advertise the activity. While explaining what work needs to be done, I would be sure to offer suggestions, ideas, and resources available. I would let them publicly be in charge while privately offering support.
It is important to be actively supportive in their efforts for any help or questions, but not to be overbearing or "looking over their shoulder" as they do it. It would be well worth the time after the task is complete to have them report. Find out how they feel they did, lessons they learned, as well as complimenting and thanking them for all the great things that they may not have thought about. It's fairly normal to skip over the good and focus on the bad of what we do :P
Full Delegation
When fully delegating to someone, you are essentially giving that person the power over that area that you should have well defined. But, don't just say, "OK, you're in charge!" Instead, provide a better example and harmonize vision by taking the time to properly hand off that responsibility.
To start off, you are still in charge of the area. Don't worry, you'll soon be free! Let's take our previous example and say that I am making someone else in charge of activities. Start off by explaining your vision for activities, needs, and even some details like how often they should be done. Then I would council together with this person and perhaps others that may be involved and come to a common understanding. This probably won't be the same vision you had to start. Once everyone agrees and is on the same page, allow the person delegated to then be in charge. This means leading discussions in future councils, making the final decisions, and probably delegating to others (yourself included!). Explain this to them and be sure to offer a helping hand and listening ear whenever needed.
A final note on full delegation, don't forget to show appreciation for what they do. It can be really easy once something is not on your plate to forget about it and how much work goes into it.
I hope this has been helpful, and it has been helpful just for me to think about it. Please comment below if you have any thoughts or comments. I'd love to hear them! God bless!
