[DARE #13] - Get Unstuck - Delegating - Melissa Llarena

[DARE #13] - Get Unstuck - Delegating [DARE #13] Get Unstuck Delegating The true goal of  leadership is to make yourself unnecessary. -Geoffrey JamesThink about it how else will you ever ascend to a higher leadership position (i.e. out of your current role) if you dont figure out ways to train your team (or anyone) to eventually takeover your existing responsibilities?Yes, its fantastic to feel needed.However, if you are too needed then your boss will never want to let you go like ever.Youll always be that guy who knows how to pull a report.Youll always be that person who has that vendor relationship.Youll always be that girl who knows where to get that data quickly.Albeit, being that only person to know something gives you a sense of job security.However, its a false sense of security because one dayThat report you pull will become irrelevant due to seismic market changesThat relationship may become fruitless because the vendor has new leadersThat data you can capture quickly could become stale because its now avai lable real-time due to a newly implemented high-tech solutionSo, heres the thingrather than wait for that information, relationship, or skill that you have to become irrelevantwhy dont you take this downtime (i.e. the holidays, slow seasons) to make yourself less and less relevant as it relates to the tasks that you can (and want to) delegate?You have to create space for the new challenges you want to take on in 2015.The way to make room for new challenges is to delegate.Here are some ideas on how to  start delegating this week or whenever you are experiencing downtime.Identify a peer or direct report who has expressed an interest in your current roleWrite a how-to manual related to the skills that you can take off of your plateAsk this person if theyd like to shadow you during the next few weeks or during your mutual downtimesCapture this exercise because its a potential resume bullet point (ex.:  Endorsed successfully and coached a direct report for the firms overseas program resu lting in his assignment in the firms Dubai office and promotion from Manager to Director)What tasks do you want to take off of your plates in 2015? Leave your comments below. Lets make some r-o-o-m for our bigger aspirations.Happy Sunday,Melissa