In your role within the company, have you become an irreplaceable asset?
What about creating an irreplaceable team reporting to you, have you tackled that yet?
In the last blog post, we tackled the concept of serving vs. preserving.
If you recall, we agreed that we can’t take on extra work to keep ourselves safe in our careers under the guise that we are “serving our teams.”
We must actually serve them.
Today let’s take this one step further.
To truly serve your team, I’m challenging you to realize that you must make them irreplaceable.
Why an irreplaceable team?
Because if you want true career success and security, you must master The 1 Rule; adding daily value.
Part of adding daily value isn’t just you being in the business and adding business value, it’s also about adding people value.
For you to win, you can’t do it alone. You must have a team of individuals you are mentoring daily who can step up and do the work and are just as irreplaceable as you are.
They must handle all that they can handle, learn all that they can learn, and add daily value to you and to the business in the same way you add daily value to them and the business. It’s a two-way street.
This allows you to do what only you can do in your role and has you adding even more value to the organization because, with both you and your team contributing at the highest level, your value-add has grown exponentially.
Exponential Impact with an Irreplaceable Team
Now, how much extra value is being added to the company simply as a result of your leadership?
Tremendous!
Priceless!
Not only will the business and the customer benefit, but the members of your team will benefit as well.
Remember, you have searched for the definitive answer to the question, “what creates career success?”
Your team has been searching for that answer as well.
As you learn and master The 1 Rule, teach your team. They too will finally have the answers to make them feel both secure and valued and will therefore execute the same strategies you are deploying.
Their careers will skyrocket, they will feel secure, and they will start living life on their terms just like you.
Guess what else?
When they start adding daily value, you can add more and more value-add responsibilities to their plates.
Why?
Because they aren’t doing all of the “busy work,” they are focused only on the value-add work. They get to focus on those functions and tasks because they have a phenomenal supervisor (aka you) who ensures that’s all they have to focus on.
So one team member can take all of the early meetings, another can take all of the late ones, another member can cover you while you are on vacation, and 3 others divide up the special projects.
They learn, grow, have an impact, feel valued and secure, and get noticed and promoted, all the while knowing they don’t have to do it all!
What do you have then as their leader?
Time freedom.
You have a team you have trained, built, and served. A team you have poured into. You have a team you taught how to add value to the organization and the customer. A team you have mentored and served while at the same time allowing them to make decisions and own their results.
You have a true team and you have eliminated the guesswork and the politics surrounding “success.”
No games.
No taking credit for other people’s work.
No “healthy fear” that each person, including you, must be seen doing the work in order to stay safe in their role.
You have built an irreplaceable team.
Do You Have an Irreplaceable Team?
Now it’s time for a gut check.
How are you currently leading your team?
If you’re not there yet, today’s the day to start working on it.
If you are there, enjoy the rewards of your value-added work and celebrate your success!