Why leaders shouldn’t aim to be irreplaceable

This article comes from:

Dan McCarthy is the director of Executive Development Programs at the University of New Hampshire. He writes the award-winning leadership-development blog Great Leadership and is consistently ranked as one of the top digital influencers in leadership and talent management. 

In smart companies, an orderly replacement of high-level, critical positions is considered to be strategically important to the continued success of the company. A failure to proactively plan for succession is the same as failing to safeguard the financial assets of an organization.

Other than this handful of critical executive positions, succession planning for the rest of the organizations is usually managed by identifying “pools” of candidates that are considered to have potential to move into any number of senior leadership roles. In other words, the typical mid-senior-level leadership position isn’t considered important enough to worry about if the incumbent leaves. When it happens, the organization reaches into the pool for a replacement, hires externally, or re-shapes the position in a way so that it doesn’t look anything like it used to.  Some companies have the implicit idea to get promoted, you need to train your replacement, and these are the companies that actually promote from within.  However, if your company does not have a formal, or HR driven succession plan in place, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider doing it for your own good.

Why would any leader want to bother, especially if they are even not being asked to?  There are at least four compelling reasons:

1. So that you are not seen as “irreplaceable”

On the surface, being so important that no one else could replace you seems like a good deal. That’s job security, right? Well, that’s OK if you want to do the same job for the rest of your career. But if you have aspirations to do something different (like get promoted), then being irreplaceable is painting yourself into a career corner. I have been in the meetings when those decisions are made — it happens.

2. So that you can take time off with peace of mind.

Being “replaceable” has immediate, tangible benefits, too. You can actually take a vacation, maternity or disability leave, or time off for some other reason without worrying about your department falling apart or being called in to clean up the mess.

3. Failure to groom a successor is seen as poor leadership.

Talent management is considered a critical competency for leaders these days. Leaders that do it well have higher performing organizations and are seen as being strategic and confident leaders. If your management looks at your position and doesn’t see a viable slate of candidates, you’ll be labeled a leader that can’t coach, delegate, develop, or let go. The heck with that promotion, maybe it’ll be time to replace you for not doing your job.

4. If self-interest and fear aren’t enough motivation, then think about your legacy.

Frances Hesselbein, considered by Peter Drucker to be one of the greatest leaders of all time, said it best: “Successful transition is the last act of a great leader.”

You’ve worked hard to make a difference, establish a vision, achieve results, and build your team. Why wouldn’t you want someone that you handpicked and groomed to step into your role and continue to build on what you’ve created?

Once you’ve made the decision to plan for your own succession, here are a few tips on how to do it:

1. Define the future requirements for your position.

Unless you’re planning on leaving next week, don’t think about the skills needed to do your job as it exists today – think about what it would take to be successful three to five years in the future. It’s a good exercise in strategic thinking, and it may even change the way you’re approaching your own development.

2. Assess your team.

Use a performance and potential matrix to assess your own team. Does anyone have the potential to be considered a candidate for the role as you’ve envisioned it in the future? If so, put them on your “short list” of successors.

3. Look outside of your team.

A well-rounded, talented, diverse “virtual bench” should include one or two candidates from your team (if they exist) and two or three from outside of your immediate team. They could be from within your organization or external. These external candidates could also be part of your virtual bench for new hires or replacements on your own team.

4. Coach and develop your succession candidates.

Coaching and developing will help everyone on your team become better performers; it shouldn’t be limited to just potential successors. However, if you are preparing someone to step into your role, either short term (i.e., a vacation or leave), or long term, development has a different focus. It’s not just about helping them do their own job better; it’s preparing them to do your job through stretch assignments, delegation, training, coaching, and feedback.

5. Share your succession plan with your boss.

If you have enough self-confidence to create your own succession plan, then share it with your manager. Why? In addition to the benefits already listed above, it’s a chance to get feedback and another perspective. Who knows, maybe your manager knows something about your role’s future requirements that you were not aware of, has opinions about the performance and potential of your candidates, or has other candidate suggestions. It’s all good information to share and be aware of.

Perception is Reality: 8 Steps for Changing How Others See You

This tip and thinking comes from:

Joel Garfinkle is recognized as one of the top 50 coaches in the U.S., having worked with many of the world’s leading companies, including Oracle, Google, Amazon, Deloitte and The Ritz-Carlton. He is the author of seven books, includingGetting Ahead: Three Steps to Take Your Career to the Next Level. More than 10,000 people subscribe to his Fulfillment@Work newsletter. If you sign-up, you’ll receive the free e-book “41 Proven Strategies to Get Promoted Now!”

The “perception is reality” adage is most often applied to the way each of us sees our own environment. If we see the glass as half full, we will operate from that reality and the glass will always be at least half full. But what if we turn that adage inside out? What if the reality we’re experiencing is due in part to how others perceive us?

Carly Fiorina, former Chairman and CEO of Hewlett-Packard, stated: “Leadership is a performance. You have to be conscious about your behavior, because everyone else is.”

There are a number of actions we could take but we need to begin with behavior.

1. Observe how your behavior impacts others
Start by being honest with yourself. Notice how your behavior affects those around you. How do people react to you in meetings? In the coffee room or at lunch? If clients are not returning your calls, perhaps your behavior is making them feel pressured or uncomfortable.

2. Ask for feedback
Ask others how they see you. It takes courage and you may get some feedback that is hard to hear, but it’s an important step in creating a new perception.

3. Make behavioral changes immediately
Once you have some basic information, take small steps toward behavioral change. If you’re the type who usually dominates the conversation in meetings or groups, try keeping absolutely quiet and taking notes for a change. If you usually hang back and let others take the spotlight, write down some key points that are relevant to the topic being discussed and speak up. Perceptions will not change overnight, but you will begin to notice that others are reacting differently.

4. Up your visibility
If you want high visibility, you have to do what it takes to become visible. Start by volunteering for high impact projects. Look for a tough job that nobody wants to tackle, or something that’s been languishing but that you know is important to your boss or the company as a whole. If you see the company putting a lot of time and energy into a new idea or venture, get involved.

5. Seek out cross-functional opportunities
Identify opportunities with other departments that will increase your visibility. Such as a project or task force that will give you a chance to see and be seen by people you wouldn’t meet otherwise. Offer to make presentations or speak to groups, both inside and outside the company.

6. Promote yourself
You might be the best employee in the world, but if your contributions go unnoticed, it won’t matter. You need people who will speak positively about you and your accomplishments. This can happen on many fronts, but it begins when you speak up for yourself. This does not mean uncontrolled bragging about everything you do. It does mean sharing wins openly, and sharing credit with coworkers and team members. Tell success stories and celebrate accomplishments.

7. Seek out advocates
Identify advocates who will speak on your behalf. Ask your boss to publicize your work with his boss and on up the corporate food chain. Look for opportunities to expose your work to corporate leaders. If, like James, you work with clients or vendors outside your company, ask for their endorsement and referrals.

8. Get branded
You are the CEO of You, Inc. You are responsible for creating your personal brand, for getting your name known, for being memorable. You do this is dozens of ways, large and small. Branding “You” can be anything from developing a unique signature line on your emails to becoming an expert who is quoted in industry publications and asked to speak at seminars and meetings.

The perception others have of you will not change overnight. And once a change is made, it won’t necessarily stay that way. Creating a positive perception takes your commitment as well as consistent action on your part to develop and refine the image you want the world to see.

Do You Have Bad Boss Syndrome?

One of the most common fears today of many managers is the fear of loss of control.  It generally stems from the fear that many managers believe that someone below them will out perform and “take their job away.”  For this reason, most managers feel like they have to control everything, push every button, prop every employee up – if the employee doesn’t need the manager, then the boss will think he doesn’t need this manager either.  However, I have seen several situations where individual managers did not get promoted because they had no one below them to take their place, and this is often a common mistake that many managers make – they don’t train their own replacements so they cannot be promoted.

Despite what many think and will say, today’s work force wants and needs a voice in the organization.  For this reason, the most popular method is being a participative manager, slowly empowering your employees to think for themselves, and be responsible for their work and for their actions.  Participative managers involve their employees with input into problem solving, decision making and continuous improvement projects.  Today’s managers still have to get tasks completed, but soliciting the help from their workforce helps accomplish with more reliability and efficiency.   Forget about being the dictator or tyrant, be the coach – you’ll find out that a happy work force is a more productive workforce.

I share this article with you from a Mr. Joel Garfinkle, from smartblogs.com/leadership

Do you have BBS (Bad Boss Syndrome)?

By Joel Garfinkle on April 15th, 2013

Do your employees stop talking and look uncomfortable when you walk into the coffee room? Does everyone but you go out for drinks after work? Is your boss checking up on you more frequently than usual? Do your projects seem to be stuck in quicksand?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you may have (horrors!) Bad Boss Syndrome. But relax, the condition is curable. Let’s look at some of the characteristics of a good boss and see how you might be able to reverse the trend in just a few short steps.

1. A good boss praises in public. A job well done deserves to be recognized. Employees will knock themselves out for a boss who gives them kudos in staff meetings. They’ll crawl through broken glass for a boss who tells his boss how great they are.

2. A good boss critiques in private. Never single anyone out for criticism in a group. Schedule a one-on-one and share responsibility for the breakdown. “How could we have done this better?” is a great way to start.

3. A good boss acts like a peer. A lot of bosses can’t get out of their egos. They flaunt their power, act like they’re above it all, and remain emotionally distant from the rank and file. That kind of behavior diminishes you as a leader. It makes you seem small, and keeps you from connecting with your people. Adopt a “we’re all in this together” mentality.

4. A good boss will do whatever it takes. Your subordinates need to know you’ve got their back, no matter what. If a client threatens to leave, you’re there to help save the day. If the team’s high-profile project is about to implode, you help them come up with a plan to save it. If your department is suddenly told to cut 20% from the budget, you take a haircut along with everyone else.

5. A good boss shares her story. Your subordinates need and want to learn from you. You’re part coach, part mentor, but all human. They need to hear about your failures as well as your successes, and what you’ve learned from both.

6. A good boss delegates responsibility. You hear a lot about “the art of effective delegation.” Often, that just means pushing some of the tasks you’re too busy to do down the ladder a rung or two. Instead, give your people responsibility for significant projects and hold them accountable for results.

7. A good boss lets the stars shine. The quickest way to move up the ladder yourself is to make sure you’re developing the people who are coming along behind you. Encourage people to develop their strengths, whether through training or experience or both. Show them the path ahead. Give them big-picture input, so that they understand the company as a whole, not just their piece of it.

8. A good boss is a cheerleader for the team. Steve Jobs told the first Macintosh design team that they were there “to make a dent in the universe.” And indeed they did. Your team players need to feel they are on a mission and that you will champion their cause until they make a dent in your universe.

Have you ever experienced Bad Boss Syndrome? If so, what did your boss do? If you’ve been blessed with a good boss, what characteristics did you benefit from? Share your thoughts and stories in the comments section.

Joel Garfinkle is the author of seven books, including “Getting Ahead: Three Steps to Take Your Career to the Next Level.” He has 17 years of executive-coaching experience, most recently helping a newly promoted director learn to develop and retain top performers while creating successful peer relationships. More than 10,000 people receive his Fulfillment@Work newsletter. Subscribe and you’ll receive his free e-book “41 Proven Strategies to Get Promoted Now.”.

Welcome to the Leadership Blog!

“The point is not to become a leader.  The point is to become yourself, and to use yourself completely – all your gifts, skills and energies – to make your vision manifest.  You must withhold nothing.  You must, in sum, become the person you started out to be, and to enjoy the process of becoming.”  (Warren Bennis, On Becoming a Leader).

If you are a visitor, we thank you for your interest.  The purpose of this blog is to share ideas and thoughts about leadership, and how managers need to adopt good leadership principles in order to become more effective, and thus  attain organizational objectives.  As a professor at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan,  I will be using this blog for my students to post their learning and viewpoints on leadership principles.  It is our hopes that you will read some of these articles, share them with friends, and please feel free to post comments sharing your opinion as well.

Clearly the most important resource in any business is People, and it is through people that management is able to attain their objectives.  There are two ways this will happen:

1)  A dissatisfied and unmotivated employee will do as little as possible or enough to get by, without concern for quality or productivity, because the management has created a poor attitude and low morale.

OR

2)  A highly motivated employee will go above and beyond to ensure that the best production and quality is attained because they believe in management and want the company to grow.