When I tell you to go ahead and train your replacement, do you immediately think that it means that you will be let go? Are you worried that someone working for you will get your job? Don’t be.
I have worked with managers that were always worried that if they trained their assistant manager too well, they would take over their position. If someone who was working for them was better than they were, they felt intimidated and would hold them back. They would always be wondering if that person was going to get their job. Without even realizing it at times, they would never give them the praise that they deserved. You need to develop your staff to be better than yourself. If you have team members that are all better than you are and you are the one coordinating their efforts, it just makes your team look even stronger. Do not be so paranoid that your team can not get the recognition that they deserve. Be proud of them if they are promoted from your team. It should be a reflection on the way that your team is run as well as their individual talents.
While they are succeeding, it increases the performance of your whole staff. In turn, you indirectly get recognition for what your team achieves. I am honored when I lose one of my staff for a promotion. It makes me feel proud of their accomplishments. I want the other departments and divisions to look to my staff for future leaders. It means that I am successful. If I train my replacement, then it makes my supervisor more confident in promoting me. It is called succession planning.
It makes it so much easier to get promoted if you can show the leaders of your organization who will fill your shoes going forward. You develop these future leaders by following the direction that God has given us in the Bible. I go into this in further detail in my book Faith Guided Leadership. They are not hard concepts to follow, but it is easy to get distracted and slip up. Three keys to taking care of your team are reward, recognition and respect. The driving factor for most people to stay with a company long term is respect. Holding someone back, even if unintentional, is not a sign of giving them respect.
So, when you get back to work tomorrow, think about how you can train your replacement. Nurture and develop their talents to their fullest, even if their potential is greater than yours. All it does is make your team more successful and then the next promotions will come from your team.
I will leave you with this verse.
Exodus 32:34 (New Century Version)
So now, go. Lead the people where I have told you, and my angel
will lead you…
