Have you ever worked for a great leader? You know the type, someone who challenges you to achieve your best. Someone who identifies and cultivates talent across the team, perhaps even challenging you to work beyond what you think you are capable of.
Perhaps YOU are that leader.
Teaching, training, mentoring and ultimately raising up talent that is as good as, or better than you is truly a sign of a great leader. Be it a collaborative or competitive (i.e. dog eat dog) environment, having a great manager or leader who recognizes the skills and talents of those they manage and being willing to pour into those people to in effect raise up talent that is as good or better than themselves is a rare commodity.
But what if that wasn’t the case? How much more effective a leader would you be if you invest time and talent into those you work with allowing the raw talent to be developed to a point of excellence - even if that means you end up replacing yourself.
The best leaders aren’t threatened but instead inspired by the talent they are surrounded by.
The best teams I’ve led in my professional life have always had people much smarter than me, and thankfully I’ve been smart enough to get out of the way, allowing that talent to flourish. The team as a whole comes out stronger, more engaged, more productive producing a much better work product than otherwise possible.
And it has been my experience that when I’ve reached the limit of what I can do and someone else is better equipped to step into the role I occupy, another position or opportunity is presented that allows new challenges for me to tackle giving others the opportunity to take on the role I am leaving.
This week as you engage with the people on your team I’d encourage you to keep a keen eye out for your replacement. Embrace them, enable them, encourage them, mentor them, most importantly learn from them.
Having the ability to hone and develop talent makes for a great leader. I promise you that if you start managing your team in such a way that they know that they have the prospect of one day replacing you, you will start to see a new spirit of innovation and teamwork that will move your team forward in ways never before imagined.
So go on, find your replacement. You won’t find your next opportunity until you do.
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