I don't know too many leaders that are drowning in people who are begging for more responsibility or are actively trying to do their tasks better. In fact, most leaders I know would kill for two or three people that had that kind of determination in their given fields. Almost every leader wishes they had people under them that were actively trying to get better. We all need a right hand man.
Yet most people don't ask for one.
I've been that leader and I've struggled trying to find people under me that would take some of the weight off of my shoulders. I was waiting for initiative or a sign or anything that would say "this is the person that can help you." Sometimes that would happen but more often than not, I'd just end up people watching.
That's when I just asked someone, "hey can I get you to help me with this?" They said yes. Then I asked for more help and gave them more things to do. Eventually I just asked, "Hey do you want to be my intern?" Granted, he was a college kid and it worked out well for his college credits. But the principle works just as well with volunteers, mentor relationships, or even in the secular world.
You have to ask to receive.
Ask the young woman in your book club if she would like to try a mentoring relationship. Ask your volunteer if they would like to try being the team leader for a Sunday. Ask your employee how you can help them move up in the company. When you ask you are opening a line of communication that most people are willing to take. Who doesn't want to be discipled/move up in their career?
When you ask permission to enter into their lives, you have created an automatic ally who is willing to take your suggestions. You bypass a huge chunk of the building trust phase because they have already agreed to submit to your leadership. That doesn't mean you don't have to build trust still, but it won't be as difficult because you've altered how they perceive you. You've gone from leader to leader who I've vocally committed to.
So ask someone around you to join your team. Whether it's business, church, or personal, we all need a team around us.