Absolutely nobody is indispensable. Oh, you may feel like without you, things will not go on smoothly especially if you are in a position at work where people come to you regularly to sort out issues for them, but I assure you, you are not indispensable. That is why it is important to ensure that you take breaks when necessary. Don’t let anyone deceive you with statements such as, “we cannot move on in this project without you” or “work can never be the same without you.”
While these are feel-good statements that show that you’re doing your job well, it is essential that you know that work can, and WILL definitely go on even when you’re not there. Take breaks to rejuvenate. You are not a machine and even machines need servicing. Yes, I’m talking to you that you don’t have any other life apart from work.
Again, part of being a good team lead is having a solid team that can get the job done even if you’re not there. You have to also learn to delegate. And trust your team to leave them to do their part of the work after delegating. They may make mistakes, but it is all part of building a successful team.
I have to admit this was the hardest part for me as I moved to the top of the career ladder. Most times, I ended up doing the job that I had delegated because sometimes, the person assigned to it did way less than expected. But I soon realized that I was building a weak team. I have learnt to take my hands off and observe from a distance. Team leaders also tend to ignore the people that they think are the weakest links and dump all the work on those that they perceive as the efficient ones. This brings about complacency and you’ll soon exhaust the ‘strong links’. Except someone has shown you repeatedly that they’re untrainable, then you should give people a fair chance.
Sometimes, your team is sloppy because you are not steering the ship well enough. I remember as a registrar then. There was a particular unit known for having house officers that often shirked their duties. I resumed in the unit and my first discussion with them was a meeting on how we needed a reset. I was leading by example and ensuring that I put in my best. By the time I was leaving the unit, they had the best set of HOs in medicine. And we had a great time together without having to call anyone to order in a derogatory way.
Sometimes, it is not about the followers, it is about the way you’re leading. You’re asking for excellence and yet you’re doing everything contrary to that. You can never have a good team.
Lastly, if you are a leader and you don’t have a single mentee that you have mentored enough to help others or that can succeed you…I daresay you have failed as a leader. Reorient yourself.
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