The Counterintuitive Path to Greatness
Replace yourself - this mindset assumes no long term position
No long term position means you are focused on the organization's success, not your own
Not focusing on your own success means you aren't in it for the money (not that unfair pay is ok or salary is irrelevant, but it isn't the point)
This means that your efforts, your ego, is invested entirely into the organization
All of this maximizes the value you can offer to the organization
Here Is Where It Flips
With the organization benefiting from your maximum potential, it stands the best chance at being successful
If it is successful, this success translates back to the people who made it successful
While employed by the organization, this may mean things like bonuses, promotions, raises, recognition, and greater opportunities
When looking for another job, it qualifies your abilities by pointing to a wildly successful project
Even if you aren't looking for a job, if the project is publically successful, you may be recruited away to greater opportunities
Here Is Where It Flips Again
But none of this is possible if you are hedging your bets
Because if you are hedging your bets, you are trying to prolong your tenure within an organization
If you are trying to prolong your tenure, your actions will be in favor of self preservation and will tend to lack any profound contributions
Your approach at best will be lucky
More likely it will be one of "don't rock the boat"
And at its worst, you approach will become one that binds the organization with problems you've intentionally created to maximize your stay as you solve these problems
Why Business Leaders Miss the Point
In my opinion, most people go into business for things like money, power, and pride
If a person is working for money, power, or pride, their motivations are focused on these, not the organization
If a person isn't focused on the organization, then they aren't working to replace themselves
And if they aren't working to replace themselves, then they aren't delivering the greatest value
Because most people go into business for money, power, or pride, it is completely unintuitive to them WHY you would focus on the organization rather than yourself
Look to Behavior, Not the Rhetoric
Regardless of what your colleagues or leadership say, you can see this to be true by their actions, not their words
Great leaders focus obsessively on a balance between the right growth and the right costs
Mediocre leaders focus obsessively on exponential growth while simultaneously pursuing aggressive cost cutting
Great leaders establish a core guiding principle, informed by the business, understood by everyone in the business, and designed to lead the behavior of the business
Mediocre leaders design eloquent corporate propaganda, created by the select few at the top, published to the rest of the organization as a fantastic new philosophy that should be commemorated
Great leaders understand that the creation of greatness is a valuable discipline regardless of the business type, objectives, or current position
Mediocre leaders focus on the valuation of a business and the maximization of that valuation in an attempt to acquire bonuses, recognition, or liquidation events
Great leaders take the time to get to know all levels of the business, understanding that this gives them the information to lead, and the rapport to support their team and the team to support them
Mediocre leaders are too busy, don't regularly engage the team, don't get the information they need to lead, and either fool themselves into thinking they have the team's support or don't care
Great leaders appreciate the team and regularly give credit, because without this team the success of the organization, and as we’ve discovered the success of the leaders themselves will suffer
Mediocre leaders are detached, take personal credit for achievements, boast about bonuses, create organizational tiers where the higher ranks are eligible for rewards, and in doing so create a culture of commiseration and complacency which erodes organizational performance and therefore the success of the leaders themselves
There are other examples, but I think you get the point
The Counterintuitive Path to Greatness
So the path to greatness turns out to be counterintuitive
Focusing on the organization over you maximizes the benefit to the organization AND to you
The question to ask yourself is, "are my actions working to replace myself?"
It seems counterproductive at first glance, but in practice is the best possible approach
Because if your actions are designed to replace yourself, the rest will fall into alignment
What I Mean by "Replacing Yourself"
Good parents raise their kids, then allow them to become adults. At some point continuing to engage a parent <> child relationship OVER a peer to peer relationship becomes enabling
Similarly, if a business person isn't expecting their project to persist at some point WITHOUT them, the leader <> project relationship works much like the enabling metaphor
On day 1 you should say to yourself, "what happens if I don't come in to work tomorrow?" It's likely you will be needed on day 2, and probably on day 3, and day 10, and day 80....
What are the things you need to do so that some day, you can step back from the project and let it fly itself?
I like to begin with a great team and through specifications
As things roll out, and large blocks are transitioned to the maintenance team, development picks off the critical path items
As operations takes over fulfillment and the application goes live, as a Product Manager, I should be supporting the product with client feedback, design improvements, performance analysis, and other ongoing business based product leadership
But at this point, at least for my role, the product should be in a position where it is well organized, supported by great people, and my personal contribution is just one piece of the puzzle - and I can be replaced
And that is the moment I push hard to reach from day 1
