Let them judge
Jethro delegates authority
Jethro's plan for Moses contained a crucial detail: let the appointed leaders judge the people themselves — every small matter they shall decide, and only the great matters they shall bring to you. They were not to gather facts and await Moses' verdict; they were given the authority to decide. Jethro delegated judgment, not just legwork.
There is a vast difference between delegating labor and delegating authority. Many leaders offload the work but keep all the decisions, so every matter still funnels back to them for a ruling — and they remain the bottleneck while their people remain errand-runners. Real delegation gives people the authority to decide within a domain, not merely the task of preparing decisions for someone else. It is harder, because it means living with judgments you would have made differently. But a leader who delegates only labor multiplies his hands, while a leader who delegates authority multiplies leaders.
“He called his twelve disciples, and gave them authority over unclean spirits.”
— Of Jesus giving the Twelve authority — Matthew 10:1 (WEB)
There is a vast difference between delegating labor and delegating authority. A leader who delegates labor multiplies his hands; one who delegates authority multiplies leaders.
“Let them judge the people at all times. It shall be that every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they shall judge themselves. So shall it be easier for you, and they shall share the load with you.”
Jethro had Moses give people the authority to decide, not just to gather facts. A leader formed here grants real decision-making, accepting choices he would have made differently. The inner work is releasing control over the verdicts.
Delegate the authority to decide within a domain, not just the labor of preparing decisions. Let people own the small matters fully, bringing only the great ones to you. Multiply leaders by sharing real authority.
Leaders offload work but keep every decision, remaining the bottleneck while people stay errand-runners. The blind spot is calling it delegation when only labor, not authority, has been shared.
Find one type of decision that always funnels back to you. This week, delegate the authority to decide it, not just the legwork.
Many leaders offload the work but keep all the decisions, so everything still funnels back to them — they multiply their hands but remain the bottleneck.
Are you delegating real authority to decide, or just labor, while every judgment still funnels back to you?