分派責任

一個團隊基本上有不同領域的人，對於事情要如何進行和完成，他們有不同的經驗和看法。一個團隊的領袖，包括我在內，如果忘記要將責任下放，會讓事情變得更複雜。

最常見的兩個說法就是，第一: 多比少好。換句話說，有不同技能天賦和能力的人一起工作，能成就比他們個別工作更大的事。因此按照團員個別的長處和能力委託和賦予他們工作和責任是非常重要的。

第二：兩個臭皮匠勝過一個諸葛亮。有時領袖因為自認知道怎麼做才是最好的，會受到引誘想要掌控所有的計畫和決定。但是相信團隊的智慧，結果會比領袖一個人所能做的更好。

在聖經中也一再重複強調適才適性，責任下放的原則。例如，摩西帶領以色列人逃出埃及之後，面臨了要如何管理百姓的問題。即使是領袖，摩西一個人也不能做所有的判斷。

摩西的岳父葉特羅看出需要有人來分擔他的責任，在百姓中做判斷的工作，他就跟摩西說:「你這做的不好，你和這些百姓必都疲憊，因為這事太重，你獨自一人辦理不了。」(出埃及記18章17節)葉特羅接著就建議摩西，要將判斷的責任分派出去，自己只管困難的案件。

之後神設立了以色列崇拜的程序，分派責任給正式被膏的祭司們。民數記18章1節說到：「耶和華對亞倫說：「你和你的兒子，並你本族的人，要一同擔當干犯聖所的罪孽。你和你的兒子也要一同擔當干犯祭司職任的罪孽。」亞倫是一個很有能力的領袖，但是他也要分派責任出去，才能將事情做好。

領袖很容易流於一個人做全部的事情，因為他們很清楚目標以及如何去達成目標。但是一個團隊的許多好處之一，就是有許多人可以貢獻己力和分擔責任，以免重擔將一個人壓垮。

傳道書4章8-12節說到：「有人孤單無二，無子無兄，竟勞碌不息，眼目也不以錢財為足。 他說：「我勞勞碌碌，刻苦自己，不享福樂，到底是為誰呢？」這也是虛空，是極重的勞苦。 兩個人總比一個人好，因為二人勞碌同得美好的果效。 …三股合成的繩子不容易折斷。」如果你希望自己的團隊能夠卓越，請確實精準地分派責任，然後確定每個人都能完成工作。

A team typically has multiple people with different perspectives, experiences and ideas about how something should be approached and completed. To make matters even more complicated, team leaders, including myself, often forget the simple step of assigning responsibilities for a desired outcome.

Two commonly used statements come to mind that apply here. One says, “The whole is greater than the sum of the parts.” In other words, people with a variety of skills, gifts and abilities can accomplish more collectively than if they were to operate independently of one another. Thus it is important to delegate tasks and assignments according to the team members” respective strengths and capabilities.

The second statement is, “None of us is as smart as all of us.” Sometimes it is tempting for leaders to want to control all planning and decision-making, confident they know what is best. But by trusting the team”s collective intelligence, a better outcome can be achieved than the leader could have envisioned.

This principle of assigning responsibilities to different members of the team according to their abilities is one that appears repeatedly in the Bible. For instance, after their escape from Egypt, the Israelite nation”s leaders were confronted with the taunting task of governing them. Moses was the leader, but he could not do all the decision-making by himself.

Moses” father-in-law, Jethro, was the one that recognized the need to share the burden of settling legal disputes. He told Moses, “What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone” (Exodus 18:17). Jethro proceeded to recommend how Moses could properly delegate judicial responsibilities, reserving only the most difficult cases for himself.

Later God established procedures for caring for the Israelites” worship center, dividing duties among the men who had formally been appointed as priests. Numbers 18:1 states, "The LORD said to Aaron, "You, your sons and your family are to bear the responsibility for offenses connected with the sanctuary." Aaron was a very capable leader, but to get the work done properly it needed to be shared by others.

It can be tempting for leaders to try and do all of the work. After all, they know exactly what they want to have done and also know exactly how they would like to have it accomplished. But one of the many advantages of a team is having a number of individuals that can contribute to the effort and share the load, preventing it from becoming overwhelming for one person.

As Ecclesiastes 4:8-12 declares, “There was a man all alone…. There was no end to his toil…. Two are better than one because they have a good return for their work…. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” If you desire your team to excel, be certain to specifically divide responsibilities, then hold everyone accountable for completing the work.

Copyright 2015, Integrity Resource Center, Inc. Adapted with permission from "Integrity Moments with Rick Boxx," a commentary on issues of integrity in the workplace from a Christian perspective.