You can delegate authority not responsibility

Airsoft club organization

Airsoft club organization

Regiment Airsoft team leadership and organization day 11
You can delegate authority not responsibility.

You as leader can delegate authority at any time but never the responsibility.

Example. Your Airsoft Club leader tells you (as squad leader) to load club equipment in the truck and fill Jerry cans. You can delegate one Group to load the equipment and another Group to fill the cans. If by the time the team is ready to leave neither of the tasked are completed its YOU who has failed. You can argue the “I gave this person one task and another person that task” all you want, however it is you who has failed in supervising your subordinates, to properly complete the task as demanded.

The rank you hold within your Airsoft Club isn’t for show, someone thought you could handle the responsibility of supervising people under you. Even if you are at the bottom of the food chain and a Team leader of two, you still have a responsibility. That responsibility is to develop the new team mate.

Delegation of authority to complete a task is important within a large organization. The Airsoft Club leader cannot do all tasks, they must rely on their sub-commanders to complete the tasks they have been assigned with as little supervision as required. Don’t allow the excuse of “the task has been delegated to another person”. That problem is between the sub commander and his subordinates not you and the subordinates.

One good habit to get into is to have your people report back to you when they have completed. This is easily accomplished by telling them “report to me when you are done”. This is for two reasons. First you know another goal has been completed and the other is if the person is new and under “direct adult supervision” (which has been covered earlier in the Crash course to leadership), you can inspect their work and take corrective action if required.

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