3 Lessons about Delegation from Moses for Real Estate Investors

It may be surprising to some, but the Bible contains more than a few lessons for real estate investors today.

Such is the case with the leader and prophet Moses from the Bible when it comes to delegation.

Who Was Moses?

Having survived a season of infanticide in Egypt, Moses was raised in the royal palace of Pharaoh by Pharaoh’s daughter. He gets in some hot water when he kills a man and has to flee to the desert to preserve his life. It is here he encounters God who gives him a special assignment to lead God’s people out of slavery in Egypt. Through a series of miraculous signs and events Moses leads the Israelites out of Egypt.

After escaping 400 years of slavery in Egypt, Moses finds himself leading God’s people in the middle of the desert.

The Problem

In the midst of all this, Moses finds himself working day and night in an attempt to seek God’s guidance for his people and to help them resolve their disputes. He was working his fingers to the bone. He was worn out. Nobody was happy! Read about it here.

Help from a Mentor

Thankfully for Moses, his father-in-law Jethro sees Moses’ back breaking efforts and offers him some advice. He gives him some pointers on what we would today call delegation. Moses implements Jethro’s advice and in doing so gives real estate investors today some important lessons.

Lesson 1 Resist the Temptation to Do Everything Yourself

Most real estate investors and entrepreneurs have a strong work ethic and desire to “get it done.” This is great except it leads us to burnout and inefficiencies.

Moses’ father-in-law Jethro, sees him struggling under the burden of doing it all himself, and asks, “Why do you sit alone, and all the people stand around you?”

If we are honest, the temptation to do it all ourselves is an issue of pride.

1. We think we are the only ones with the knowledge to do this.
   
2. No one can do it as well as we can do it.
   
3. It can get done quicker if I just do it myself instead of teaching someone else.

The problem with this is it leads to burnout, doesn’t allow for leadership development in our business or organization and takes our focus off of doing those things we are great at and only we can do to advance our business or organization.

The solution as we see from Moses, is to give it away. To delegate. Moses delegated but he did not abdicate. It is always important to have check-ins and benchmarks. Delegation cannot be just set it and forget it. It has to be set it and check it. Trust but verify.

Resist the temptation to do it all yourself.

Lesson 2 Delegation Helps You Be the Best Version of Yourself

When Moses puts into practice the principles his father-in-law Jethro suggests, Moses receives benefits. These benefits are similar to what real estate investors today receive when they delegate. They include:

1. A lighter load.
   
2. Reduced stress.
   
3. The ability to focus on those things that only you as a leader can do. Moses could go back to leading the Israelites and hearing from God.
   
4. The ability to focus on those things that will produce the most fruit when it comes to productivity, making money and growing your business.
   
5. The opportunity to operate out of your giftedness and your sweet spot instead of slogging through things that do not bring you energy.

Delegation brings benefit to the leader.

Lesson 3 Delegation Helps You Bring Out The Best In Others

Think of all the people that had to step up to help Moses. Think of all the new leaders who were given responsibility and probably ended up doing a better job than Moses. Moses’ ability to heed Jethro’s advice and delegate ended up being a win-win for Moses and his team.

It is well known, if an organization or business is going to scale then leaders must delegate and outsource certain things.

Not only were new leaders birthed because Moses delegates, but the people were no doubt better served. The back log of appointments and cases only Moses previously heard, were now being handled by a team.

Delegation brings benefits to others.

Wrapping It Up

Another writer in the Bible once said, “There is nothing new under the sun.” This is true when it comes to delegation.

Moses ended up “getting it” thanks to his mentor and father-in-law Jethro. It allowed the Israelites to continue their journey.

May the ability to delegate allow you to continue your real estate investing journey.