When you think about your leadership position, do you think about who your backup will be? Many leaders fail to think through who would take over if, God forbid, something were to happen to them.
What could happen?
- You suffer a heart attack
- You are hit by a car and laid up in a hospital bed for multiple weeks
- You have an emergency family situation
These are but a few things that can sideline a leader. Sometimes permanently.
Without a backup ready to take your place, your team could be left floundering. They may even sink without someone ready to step in to take your place.
Photo by Riley McCullough on Unsplash
You Need A Backup Leader
Now that you know something could happen to you, you know you need a backup leader. This is someone who can step in if you become incapacitated.
Think about your favorite sports team. They have backups for their team members.
The active roster of an NFL team is 53 players. They choose their starting players, and the rest are, in theory, backup players.
If a starter gets injured or needs a rest, the NFL team has someone who can step in for that player. They’re ready to continue when the other player isn’t.
Now… Just imagine…
What if organizations had backup leaders?
Backup leaders would be there to take over when you’re tired, injured, or incapacitated. They would be there to carry on the vision and mission of your organization while you recover… Or while they find your replacement.
How To Have Backup Leaders
I know, you’re thinking this: Our budget is so tight there’s no way we could have a backup leader waiting on the bench. The cost would be astronomical.
That’s stinking thinking.
There are ways to have backup leaders in your organization. It can be simple or complex. Let’s look at a simple way to have backup leaders ready to step in when things hit the fan.
- Look for potential in the team members you already have: Start by looking at who’s already on your team. You may notice someone who isn’t a star player yet but they’re rising up the organizational ladder. You’ve got your starting point once you’ve narrowed it down.
- Bring the backup leader to important meetings: You can’t bring your backup leader to everything. However, you can figure out the important meetings they should be a part of. You may want to bring them to finance meetings, employee conversations, and training sessions. The more these backup leaders experience your normal, everyday aspects of leading the organization, the better idea they will have of what to do if anything were to happen to you.
- Let them try out: Sports organizations don’t have their backup players sit on the sidelines while the stars practice. No, everyone practices the plays. This allows everyone to know the calls, the routes, and the plays. Don’t let your backup leaders sit twiddling their thumbs. Instead, invite them out on the field to practice their skills.
Having backup leaders ready to jump in at a moment’s notice doesn’t have to be fancy, crazy, or expensive. Your backup leaders can and should already be part of your organization.
They only need to be ready to be called up. So, who’s your backup leader?
