Leadership Shift #4 Eyes On, Hands Off: Grow, Coach, and Stretch Your People to Make Yourself Obsolete

“Open Fire!”

I took aim at the target dummy’s head with my handgun, took a shot, took aim and was just about to pull the trigger again when the instructor yelled “Cease Fire, cease fire!” I immediately dropped the gun and glanced sideways at my teammates lined up next to me. The ten of us stood three feet apart. By now, all my team members had their guns pointed to the ground. The instructor approached from behind and ordered my Warrant Officer (WO) who was standing next to me with a stern voice to unload his gun immediately and step back. I immediately knew what this meant and was not looking forward to what was about to follow.

After finishing the drill – we were in the midst of our training in preparation for deployment as peacekeepers to the Balkans –, the shooting instructor gave me the download. My hyper-nervous and highly-anxious WO had made yet another mistake: This time a potentially highly dangerous one by accidently pointing his loaded gun with his finger at the trigger at the teammate next to him as he was manipulating his weapon: One wrong move and he could have shot our teammate in the neck.

This latest incident came after I had put the WO on probation for a variety of other performance challenges. He was now on a performance improvement plan with simple clear targets he needed to reach.

By the time we drove back to the barracks, I had made up my mind. I had consulted extensively with my team leaders over the previous weeks and their words still rang in my ear: “We don’t think he is fit for deployment”. It was now clear to me that he simply did not have what it takes to be part of the team, let alone fulfill the key position as a WO. My team and I had given him plenty of extra practice and training and my team leaders were getting exhausted from all the extra effort they had put into him. Even though I was dreading deploying with the key WO position unfilled, I knew it was better to have a vacancy than the wrong person in the wrong seat. He needed to go, and fast!

Nobody likes to fire people and most of us dread having the tough conversation.

I am no exception. What made firing my WO even harder was that he was incredibly motivated, worked hard and was a very kind person. When I asked him to meet with me later that day, he knew what was coming. That made me feel better. It meant I had done my homework and had clearly communicated to him along the way about what was expected from him, where he fell short and what he needed to improve. Tears filled his eyes as I laid out to him that we would have to let him go as of immediately. I explained in a very matter of fact way once again where he fell short and what lead me to this decision. He listened, nodded, and said he understood. We shook hands and parted ways.

I don’t carry this incident as badge of honor. Over the course of my career, I have had to fire numerous folks and I have been let go myself. It’s a tough process. And yet, it was very clearly the right thing to do. Less than four weeks after starting the peacekeeping training I made the right call by firing my WO fast.

The questions that informed my decision were:

• Would I feel comfortable delegating comprehensively to him?

• Would I trust him in my absence?

• How would I feel leaving him in charge of things when I am gone?

The underlying theme with these questions was: Can I lead him with my Eyes On, Hands Off?  Can I make myself obsolete, can I work myself out of a job with my WO in charge? And the answer was a clearly a resounding ‘No’!

The ultimate test of leadership is how the ship runs when you are not there. Your job as a leader is to work yourself out of a job, to make yourself obsolete!

Here is my challenge to you: Whether it’s your first week in a new role or you’re a 5-year veteran, ask yourself : who will take my job? Then start to make yourself obsolete, to work yourself out of a job by delegating comprehensively to your team.

To be clear, to work yourself out a job does not mean being jobless. It means your presence is not absolutely necessary for the day-to-day running of your job and that your team is empowered and capable to make smart decisions on your behalf. Leading with your Eyes on, Hands Off means growing, coaching and stretching your people and unfortunately it also sometimes means firing someone!

Watch Urs Explain Eyes On, Hands Off