One of the greatest challenges facing leaders is to replace themselves, training others to become leaders. Imagine the day that you’ve long dreamed of: Promotion Day! You are now over not only your old team’s new leadership but other team’s leadership as well. Who is your Joshua?
This represents an opportunity for you to lead group(s) of senior people. With any type of change comes the potential risk of ‘frustration based on the feelings of reduced relevance’. Driving your team(s) to include greater detail, better communication, and self-management in what they are doing will, by default, get buy-in into what is changing and why the change is happening. You want them to take ownership. It will improve attitudes.
I cannot stress the importance in supporting their further development. This kind of thing will have a positive impact on them personally.
You may need to reverse the feeling of not being as significant as they once were. Their development will aid in reversing that trend. Give them more ‘support’, not just lip service – they know the difference. They need visual and continuous support, not correction. They represent the core of your organization moving forward.
Death is the ultimate deadline for leadership, whether it be retirement, Job abandonment, involuntary turnover, or promotion.
Challenge Yourself
Be willing to step out of your “comfort zone” and take on some risk. Don’t always push “cookie cutter” solutions, be flexible and push yourself to innovate. Be prepared to lead, develop, and advise any effort. Your team is assuming you will be involved.
Anticipate and plan – define actionable tasks by including scope, deliverables, staffing, and time lines.
Know the Players
- Develop Strong Relationships
- Be proactive; they expect your ideas (thought leadership)
- Keep it simple
- Determine early on how to get resources working together
Develop processes to promote. When there is no vehicle to replace yourself, it can result in frustration.
Time is of the Essence
- Start early and get buy in
- Define roles and responsibilities at the beginning
- Explore bridge funding that will keep you on top of your succession plan
- Build the appropriate time into your plan
Who is YOUR Moses? Who is YOUR Joshua? If you don’t know these, you probably are facing an uphill battle that needn’t be uphill.
See you in the future,
Frank Wood
Application Transformation 