Many leaders said the above line in the title but not many would be willing to do what they preach. One possibility is that they are afraid that their throne will usurp one day. That may be a scary thought but not to me and many other great managers out there who would jump the chance to hire someone more capable than themselves.

For one, you need to acknowledge that you will never ever be as perfect as you thought you will be. Selfish managers often think they are much cleverer than others, often end up being a mean dictator than a leader or a mentor. However, if they open up their minds and their hearts, put down their pride, they can learn a thing or two from staff who are better than them. It is a much better challenge and cultivate active thinking, rather than letting your brain rot or getting too complacent in your role.

I love getting the younger generation in my team. As I started encountering the 90s kids and then the millenniums, I realized the harsh reality – I am getting older! I remembered that wisdom and equal opportunity was bestowed upon me when I was as young and as green as them. As long as I am willing to work hard and smart, there are always people around to teach me. Paying it forward, I found that mentoring and guiding young folks, fresh out from school can be a rewarding experience and put my patience to test time and time again.

Picking the right candidate is upmost importance. I am willing to spend all my free time even weekends too, to teach someone who is willing to learn and appreciate my efforts. You may have encounter staff who are very much clever in their own way but a lack of experience, and that’s where you can show them what you have seen, point out the rocks that made you stumbled and advice on the mistakes that they have made. I have in my time, encounter youths who are smart alecs and arrogant at the same time. There are tried and proven methods to break them down and get them to be more receptive to other people’s ideas and open their hearts to be humble and learn from their mistakes.

Always game enough to pick a debate. You’ll fail as a leader if you only pick yes men and women in your life to be part of the team. In fact, your whole team probably fail alongside you since they don’t seem to have a mind on their own. I always get my team fired up and challenge me when my ideas don’t seem to be right. It takes more than a single pair of eyes to see from all angles to a problem and it is truly enjoyable when the team is heated up and brainstorm alongside with you, creating even much more innovative ideas than one brain can ever think of.

Having someone who is good at something that you are doing, not only gives fresh insight on how you can do things but also you will need someone to cover your duties when you pursue a much-needed break. I rather have a capable ‘mini’ me to handle all the problems than my team or my boss calling on my mobile 24/7 when I’m away lying on a beach, sipping on lemonade. A vacation is a time away, what is the point of a break when you are still working just in a different environment?  

If this article makes sense to you, please keep a lookout for smarter, better candidates when the next time you need to hire. I like to end with a thought “If you are confident in your abilities, you’ll never need to worry that someday someone will take over your job. In fact, if one of my staff surpass me and became my boss, I’ll love to take pride in that because he or she is the person I groomed so well, they deserve the seat they are in.”

Do you agree with me? Share your thoughts below with us!

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