As Great as You

Consider equipping and training someone to replace you as a business resolution this year. This may seem a radical thought, against a national backdrop of an 8.5 percent unemployment rate, based on November data reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, a macro embrace of the idea may be good overall for business.

Some call this succession planning. It’s not a new concept, but many may consider it a risky one, especially when the current mentality of job preservation encourages everything but developing someone else to replace you.

Obviously, there are challenges. The greatest challenge will be human nature. With high unemployment, fear can diminish leadership cultivation as people strive to demonstrate their necessary value in order to preserve their source of income. A real leader, however, sees that equipping others to succeed benefits the entire operation. This insight into real success separates leaders from managers. Real leaders will rise to the top because of their self-confidence and capability, but most of all because of their passion to invest and cultivate the same traits in others.

This approach to business can unleash a wave of powerful leadership and innovative thinking. And with a little bit of energy, it can create business evangelicals who look outward, collaborate with others, and build on creative ideas. This approach could make you look pretty good, and that’s something to smile about.