Success Quote by Richard V. Allen

Power, in Richard V. Allen's formulation, is less about charisma than choreography. The line reads like a procedural memo, but its real subject is legitimacy: a transition only looks competent when authority is deliberately distributed, not hoarded. Allen is describing an architecture of control that avoids the two classic transition failures - leaders who micromanage and stall, and leaders who delegate without a coherent center and drift into factional chaos.

The specific intent is managerial: set "general goals" early, then make delegation explicit. That word "confer" is doing heavy lifting. It implies a formal transfer of mandate, not a casual "go handle it". In a transition, where no one fully owns the machinery yet and everyone is auditioning for influence, ambiguity breeds turf wars. Allen is prescribing clarity as a political tool. You empower sub-leaders not just to get tasks done, but to create a chain of accountability that can survive media scrutiny and internal rivalries.

The subtext is also a quiet warning about ego. A transition leader who clings to implementation is signaling distrust, and distrust metastasizes fast in a temporary government-in-waiting. By contrast, a leader who defines goals and then steps back communicates confidence and builds buy-in. It's management advice with a Cold War-era edge: in high-stakes, high-visibility moments, command is less about issuing orders than ensuring the system can act quickly without constantly seeking permission.