Leaders will generally work longer and harder than anyone else. This is not to say it is bad, just a statement of reality.

As well, leaders will be responsible for picking up the slack when needed. The difficulty that is created from this situation draws leaders away from the areas they should be working to accomplish.

A common expression is to stop taking someone else’s monkey. When leaders take someone else’s monkey they are taking the responsibility someone else either a) does not know how to do, b) is unwilling to do, or c) is too lazy to do. Either way, it creates a situation where someone has to pick up the slack.

There are several ideas that might help when this situation occurs:

1) Evaluate the details of the situation and need.

2) Learn the art of delegating.

3) Start with smaller responsibilities and increase as faithfulness is seen.

4) Equip others with the proper tools to accomplish the task(s).

5) Trust the job to get done by empowering others and reward accordingly.

These are just a couple of steps among many that can help leaders move forward.