Delegate Authority

To one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.- Matthew 25:15

This parable gives an account of how a man set out on a journey and gave authority to his servants.  It offers insight into some sound business practices from a biblical perspective.  The man is also known as the master of these servants in the context of this parable.  Look at how this man distributed and delegated among his servants.

The master prepared to go on his journey and left his servants in charge of what he owned.  Yet, the interesting thing here is that he gave to them "each according to his ability."  He distributed responsibility and authority based upon each person's ability. He did not do so based upon any other factor such as seniority or longevity.   He based their responsibility on their own ability.

In order to do likewise, you have to know your people.  You need to know their limitations.  You have to have a grasp of what each person can actually handle. There is no room for you to gamble.  If they can only handle some minor tasks, then that is the limit of their authority.  If you delegate beyond their limitations, you had either beef up their preparation for such tasks or allow for mistakes along the way and expand their learning curve.

You delegate authority to those who have demonstrated the ability to handle it.  You may want to start off small, using minor tasks before moving on to larger matters.  You just need to ensure that everyone has a grasp of what needs to be done and how it needs to be done.