Self-Sufficient Leadership

There I was, out at sea, waiting for the next wave with my friends. Everyone was catching the swell – except Joe. Joe was sitting on the sand, absorbed in his phone. Even on vacation, he couldn’t disconnect. You see, Joe was a rising star at a major electric utility company, quickly climbing the corporate ladder due to his dedication, resilience, and expertise. Yet, his constant availability wasn’t always a strength.

Every time he took a break, his phone would buzz with missed calls. A file couldn’t be found here, a password was forgotten there – and Joe always had the answers. This wasn’t just dedication; it was creating a dependency. His entire team had grown so reliant on him that they’d rather interrupt his downtime than spend a few minutes solving a problem themselves. Imagine if Joe ever left the company or lost his phone – his team would be left in dire straits.

Are you a Joe?

Can your school truly function if you’re constantly pulled away for trivial matters? How would your school manage if you were unavailable for a week, whether for a conference, a family event, or an unexpected absence?

Succession Planning & Self-Sufficient Teams: What’s at Stake?

Succession planning isn’t merely a retirement checklist – it’s about building a robust, self-sufficient team. In the context of schools, this means empowering every member – teaching, administrative, support, and operational – to handle daily operations with minimal dependency on you. Think of your school as a body: You are the head, your staff should work like organs, not muscles. Help them to work well, regardless of your conscious decisions as the head. Yes, they should still be influenced by you, just like when you control your heartbeat or breathing, but you don’t have to tell your lungs or heart to work at every moment.

Bridging the Gap

To start, ask yourself: How often are you the sole keeper of critical knowledge? What repetitive tasks could your team manage if they were better trained or more confident? Reflect on whether your staff tends to seek your input for issues they could resolve independently.

Actionable Exercise

Make a List: Write down every member of your staff.

• Track Interactions: For the past 30 days, note each time someone sought your guidance for routine matters.

• Assess Needs: Evaluate whether each query truly required your intervention or if it indicated a gap in their training, skills, or confidence.

• Identify Opportunities: Use this data to pinpoint areas for targeted coaching and training.

This exercise will not only highlight dependencies but also uncover actionable ideas for developing a more autonomous team. As your staff becomes more capable, you’ll notice fewer interruptions for trivial issues – freeing up your time to focus on strategic leadership and innovation.

And on top of that, when you come to the ESHA conference in October, you’ll be able to watch my presentation in full, instead of having to run out of the room to take a call because a teacher misplaced the remote control for the smart board.

The time to build a legacy of self-sufficient leadership is now.