Are you irreplaceable on your team? Are you sure?
The Colonel said, “Don’t consider yourself irreplaceable. No one is irreplaceable, kiddo. In fact, if you are doing your job, you are constantly trying to create your replacement.” The primary objective of leadership is not team accomplishment. It’s not building numbers, dollars, figures, or accolades. The true goal of leadership is building up new leaders. Your job as a leader is to replace yourself—and the more times you can do that, the better.
When Mary Kay Ash designed her cosmetics company, it very quickly became a model upon which most reputable modern-day direct sales companies were modeled. Mary Kay knew that if someone had achieved the position of Sales Director by recruiting consultants into the company but had not encouraged those recruits to become directors, that director would eventually have a unit too large to lead. More importantly, her unit would be without a leader when she retired.
With that in mind, she established a career path that encouraged her leadership to spin off additional directors from their units, or they could not move further up the ladder. By consistently working to replace themselves, directors could build and grow multiple capillary leaders to share the load. By helping others grow first, they moved ahead and received greater rewards, while their recruits also moved ahead and received greater rewards, and the company grew exponentially.
As leaders, it’s our job to give each member of our team the opportunity and resources to grow into their own leadership style. Some will rise to the challenge and others will not, but all should be given the opportunity. Your reputation as a leader will grow in proportion to the number and quality of new leaders who rise with you.
Read Lauren’s Whitepaper on The Nine Essentials of Significant Leadership.
