Delegate Appropriate Authority

King Artaxerxes had given a copy of the following letter to Ezra: . . . “From Artaxerxes, the king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the teacher of the law of the God of heaven.” Ezra 7:11-12

My assignment was to help a company reorganize a department that was hemorrhaging money. One of my first steps was to overhaul a poorly managed out-of-state office.

Previous attempts to do so had failed because the people sent to fix things were considered junior level and couldn’t demand change. They were easy to ignore because they lacked the proper authority.

I asked for, and received, a personal letter from the CEO that spelled out my assignment and instructed the manager to cooperate fully with my requests. It worked.

Ezra had a job to do. Artaxerxes made sure he could do it by officially announcing his support of the project. The king made sure everyone knew that Ezra was working on his behalf.

When you give someone a sensitive assignment, take the time to add your formal stamp of approval. Leave no doubt that he or she has your blessing and your authority.