Become Irreplaceable... Bad Advice. Very Bad Advice.
April 9, 2010
By Dan Nielsen
dnielsen@nihcl.com

Want more security, money, power, clout?  Every well-read and well-connected leader has read or heard the advice... become irreplaceable! 

Bad advice... for a million reasons... very bad advice!

For the most part, our planet has done quite well for billions of years before you and I arrived.  The people who inhabited our planet for thousands of years before your arrival have done quite well.  The millions of organizations created by people who inhabited our planet for thousands of years before you and I arrived have done quite well.  Our planet, its people, and their companies and organizations will do quite well long after you and I no longer live on this planet.

In the sense of this advice, no one has ever been nor will ever be irreplaceable, including you, me and every other human being on the planet.  Each and every person is brilliantly unique in many ways.  However none of us are, or ever will be irreplaceable in the sense of this advice.  To seriously believe or commit to such foolish advice, even if it were achievable, is outlandishly egotistical and unwise.

The best advice is just the opposite!  Become replaceable, and replace yourself... over and over again.  Great leaders focus on developing other leaders to take their place.  The most successful leaders have supported, mentored and helped mold and develop leaders to take their place... over and over throughout their career.  The result is far more security, money, power, clout, joy, happiness and success.  The proven ability to consistently replace yourself with excellent, high potential, highly inspired new leaders is the ultimate leadership success.

You are replaceable and you will be replaced... it is only a matter of time.  Your focus should be to reduce that time, consistent with high quality, in order to replace yourself over and over again.  Think of a leader who replaces herself 50 times over the span of her career.  Wow!  Now there is a truly successful leader!  Leaders who effectively, efficiently and quickly replace themselves create powerful, positive, lasting legacies and success for all who are touched by such a successful leader. 

To focus on becoming irreplaceable is foolish, immature and extremely short-sighted.  To focus on consistently replacing yourself, over and over again, as you move up and throughout your career is wise and is a life-long key to personal, professional and organizational leadership success.

Become replaceable.  Replace yourself... over and over again. 

Copyright © 2010 by Dan Nielsen