Seven Years On, Reflections on Your Oxygen Mask First: Make Yourself Useless
“The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership.”
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- Harvey S. Firestone, founder, Firestone Tire & Rubber Company
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At a very practical level, it’s a CEO’s job to help the amazing people you’ve hired to become great leaders.
And, in discussions with hundreds of executives about this challenge, it’s clear that for most people this is often the hardest.
Watch the Video: Make Yourself Useless
An Investment in Your Team
Only with an A Player team in place can a CEO spend time focusing on growth and looking for the next place to go, and to win and thrive as a business.
And that requires an investment of time to hire, teach, coach, challenge and provide feedback to people, to give them the skills and confidence to manage day-to-day business without you.
But, sometimes, a CEO who doesn’t want to go through the pains of hiring someone new, decides to continue with the devil they know. Or they get trapped handholding average players they feel loyal to, either because they’ve worked well together in the past or because they care deeply about them.
Stay tuned for more about this in my new book, as I talk about what I call the problem of pond hockey. It’s about the way that we try to work with whoever shows up at the pond to play versus thinking more like an NHL coach who is constantly scouting for only the best talent.
A Catalyst for Change
This chapter has often been a catalyst to show CEOs and executives we work with, who see that it’s possible to make the shift to become much more strategic, in their role, with a lot less time spent on operational issues because their team is so capable.
And CEOs and executives, who have become notably more effective at making themselves useless, are those who accept nothing less than an exceptional A Player team.
A great example is Amish Shah, CEO of Kem Krest, who realized that, for him to be much more useless in his organization, he needed to make some notable changes on his executive team. Here are links to:
The Challenge
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- Are at least 80% of your direct reports A Players in their role and a delight to work with? If yes, you should celebrate.
- If not, what can you do to build the team you really want
Your Oxygen Mask First Resources
- Page 140: Kevin’s Performance Rating System to get clear on where your team is today.
Other Blogs
- How are You and Your Organization Doing? A Check-Up from the Neck Up
- Do You Create an Environment of Autonomous Accountability?
- Do You Have a Who Problem?
Older Podcasts
- Jim Collins’ 6 Characteristics of the Right People in the Right Seats
- How to Deal with an Underperforming Executive
Lawrence & Co’s work focuses on sustainable and enhanced growth for you and your business. Our diverse and experienced group of advisors can help your leaders and executive teams stay competitive through the use of various learning tools including workshops, webinars, executive retreats, or one-to-one coaching.
We help high-achieving leaders to have it all – a great business and a rewarding life. Contact us for simple and impactful advice. No BS. No fluff.