Dont Do What Others Could Do Lessons for Delegation and

Authority
Working harder does not equate to being more productive. Do you feel that military
leaders still have not embraced this fact? Do we try to personally do too much? Do we
hold on to projects until deadline, trying to get ever closer to perfection?
Listening to Michael Hyatts podcast on The Fine Art of Delegation, I again came to the
conclusion that effective delegation is a battle that military leaders and staffs fight on a
daily basis.
Michael Hyatt gives 5 Imperatives of Delegation in this podcast, but the real gem of the
episode is his description of the 5 Levels of Authority. He simplifies the exercise
of authority, which then clarifies how leaders should be delegating.

U.S. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond T. Odierno speaks to company-level leaders
to discuss leadership
and answer questions during his visit to Wiesbaden, Germany, April 30, 2013.
Photo Credit: Staff Sgt. Steve Cortez

Michael Hyatts 5 Imperatives of Delegation

Imperative #1: Admit that working non-stop is unsustainable.
How many times have you seen leaders begin a training exercise with a marathon of
sleeplessness? (Ive seen it in every unit and in every training rotation as an
observer/controller.) Its as if the mistaken leaders think that 1) they can sustain that pace,
2) their unit cant function without them, and 3) their physical and mental talents wont
fade with exhaustion. Its actually a dangerous way to operate.
Believe it or not, the same rules applies to daily work in garrison. Leaders who commit to,
say, working 14-hour days and most weekends, will suffer a prolonged exhaustion that
decreases the quality of their performance and causes stress in other areas of life.
Imperative #2: Understand your unique calling.
Where do you add unique value? The military trains its leaders to be capable in many
different areas, which means that leaders must be selective about which talents are
appropriate for what jobs. You may have been an outstanding operations officer, but if
youre currently the commander, then you need to focus on being the commander. (On my
first day on the job, my boss told me, Ive already been an operations officer and Im not
doing to do it again. Thats your job and Ill let you do it.)
Imperative #3: Select qualified leaders to assist you.
The military has considerably less expediency in hiring and firing than the civilian world
and military leaders rarely get to build a team from the ground up. Therefore, its crucial to
identify the most impactful talents that each team member can provide, and leverage
those talents in specific areas. Know who you can trust with the important projects and
empower them with authority.
Imperative #4: Give these leaders responsibility and authority.
This explanation of authority is the simplest and clearest that Ive ever read. (Michael
Hyatt explains it well in the podcast [at 11:20] and its worth a listen.)
We know that military leaders can delegate authority, but always maintain responsibility
for the outcome. This model allows a leader to be clear about how much authority he/she
delegates, which is commensurate with the level of trust in the subordinate.
Level 1: Do exactly what I have asked you to do.

Level 2: Research the topic and report back.

Level 3: Research the topic, outline the options and make a recommendation.
Level 4: Make a decision and then tell me what you did.
Level 5: Make whatever decision you think is best.
As I listened to this list, it occurred to me that military leaders typically retain authority for
risky events like live-fire training but often fully-delegate routine events like counseling,
safety programs, and administrative maintenance. More Soldiers die from off-duty
vehicular accidents than live-fire training, and yet few leaders maintain direct oversight on
subordinate risk prevention programs and Soldier engagement. Have you seen this to be
true?
Imperative #5: Only do those things which others cannot do.
Finally, the foundational lesson of delegation: Only do what others cannot. If you are in
a leadership position, particularly if you are a commander, you shouldnt be the one
making slides and turning wrenches (although its wise to occasionally show that you still
can). Your position gives an intentional amount of distance from the minutia so that
you can exercise uncluttered decision making and maintain a big-picture
perspective.
No one else on the team or staff should decide on how to develop the units leaders
thats the commanders job. No one else is granted command authorityso, that should
be the commanders focus. Identify what responsibilities are uniquely yours, then
delegate everything else to your team.

Questions for Leaders

What else could you accomplish if you were able to delegate 50% of your activity to
your subordinates?
In what ways would your subordinates grow if they could take over some of your
important tasks?
Review how you are currently delegating. Can you correlate underperformance with
a lack of clarity in delegating authority?
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Related
Article: "Why Aren't You
Delegating?" (HBR)
You seem to work longer hours than
everyone else... You feel totally
indispensable... You feel like you're
the only one who is energized... You
feel like no one else can do as good a
job as you could on a project... You
know where this is going...if these
statements describe
In "Leadership"