Many organizations could move from Poor, to Good, to Great if they would stop Dumping on their workers and instead, start Developing Leaders. In the rush to simply unload tasks from their to-do list, too many leaders simply Dump the burden on their subordinates. The leaders focus solely on Getting Rid of the Task without thinking about long-term consequences. By quickly Dumping tasks, they inflict major damage on their workers’ and the organization’s morale. This Dumping is the result of short-term thinking.

Some leaders Delegate work, which requires a little more planning on their part; specifically, who to Delegate it to based upon many presumptions. They often presume the person most capable of handling that task should the one to whom it is Delegated. Or they presume it should be Delegated to the busiest person, because that person has proven themselves capable of completing Delegated tasks. These presumptions also lead to the demoralization of the organization’s most capable people.

The best leaders take time to Develop other Leaders within the organization. Although this is time consuming at first, this long-term view of organizational leadership not only increases morale, it increases productivity, and reduces employee turnover. I recommend a five-step process to Developing Leaders in any organizations:

1. Motivate them. Call your workers/team/subordinates together and motivate them to improve the organization. Leaders should have studied their people so they know what motivates them individually and in groups. Some desire recognition, some desire more money, while others are simply bored and desire more responsibility. So find out what motivates them and use that to boost the long-term effectiveness of the organization.
2. Empower them. Give them the authority to complete their jobs and the task you have set before them. Challenge them to apply their time and talents to the task and give them the Authority to complete it.
3. Delegate the task. Now that you have motivated and empowered them, send them out to do the job and expect great things. Ensure them they will be rewarded for their efforts and back off a little so they can complete the task – don’t micromanage them.
4. Communicate well and frequently, but don’t micromanage. Give them specific instructions for the task, tell them the expected outcomes including due dates, and check in on them without micromanaging. Ask them how it’s going, do they need any other resources to complete the task. If the task will take several days/weeks, ask them to communicate back to you their status at several milestones – don’t tell them when to report, don’t micromanage, but ask them to let you know when they have completed major steps or sections of the task.
5. Evaluate them. Since you have created an non-confrontational, non-micromanaging communications channel with them, evaluating their performance should feel natural. And they should expect feedback because they have been communicating with you all along.

Developing Leaders will take an investment of your time, but the time and problems you avoid in the long term will be worth it.

For a Biblical perspective of this, study Luke 9:1-6 when Jesus sent out his 12 Disciples in groups of 2 to cleanse and heal a wounded nation.