Earl Wallace

Delegation is the formal transfer of authority. Many of us know that we do not delegate as often nor as well as we should.  Here are three reasons why, and what to do about them: 

We don’t delegate because

1. We are too busy to figure out what part of tasks, functions or processes we should delegate. 
2. We don’t trust others to do a good enough job. 
3. Our egos get in the way of delegating, because we are insecure about someone else either getting credit or doing something better than we could do it.   

The Three-Dimensional Leader: Negotiating Your Mission, Resources and Context, lays out the process of Training, Timing and Trusting to overcome these issues to achieve delegation.

Training Achieves Synergy 

Productivity at first declines when you take time to organize and train others, who also must go around a learning curve before they fully are productive. Doing so, however, later achieves synergy and far greater output.  

Timing Builds Experience 

Training should include structured time on the job that delegates experiences that progressively increases one’s responsibilities.  Appropriate feedback builds trust that learning is taking place.

Trusting Is Based on Values  

Training must include values, because they generate behaviors. Values motivate actions.  Once people demonstrate they have your values, you can trust them to handle your processes with appropriate behaviors.   

Delegation Requires Submitting Ego to the Mission 

Great leaders do not have to posture and pretend they are the smartest person in the room, but must be able to ask the right questions of those who are the brightest in their areas, and then empower them to do what is decided upon. Nothing happens unless a leader authorizes and empowers activity.  Are you a leader who can submit ego to the mission to train, time and trust to delegate effectively?

3-D MRC Values  


The Three-Dimensional Leader: Negotiating Your Mission, Resources and Context (MRC) is a value system designed to motivate a focus on three essentials.  The most effective leaders 

1. stay focused on the mission the organization wants accomplished;
2. inspire, train, motivate and support people as the chief organizational resource necessary to achieve it, and 
3. understand the context of relevant variables the organization continually must adjust to amend operations to fulfill its goals. 

While the “mission, resources and context” model seems simple, sustaining an MRC focus is challenging and rare.  This is because people either fail to fully realize their organization’s mission, or they lose sight of it very quickly in the heat of the moment and when faced with the numerous temptations that distract us to pursue private interests or initiatives. 

Three-dimensional Leaders keeps a long range view of the organization’s MRC’s.  Two-dimensional leaders only see one or two of the MRC elements. One-dimensional leaders do not care about their organization’s mission, and instead use their positions to pursue personal agendas.  One-dimensional leadership is all about “me,” not the mission.

What Kind of Leader Are You?   

Even though you may be amazingly talented and charismatic, if you can’t get groups of people to achieve the mission, you are not a 3-D leader. Two-dimensional leaders also fail to treat all the people in the organization objectively. As they play favorites, they set up “us vs. them” dynamics, pitting members of the organization against each other. 

See In 3-D

Three-Dimensional Leaders discern the context and encourage others to use their gifts, talents and abilities to solve problems that accomplish organizational goals. The 3-D MRC management system improves, oversight, workplaces and organizational performance by promoting better leadership and goal-focused employee behaviors.