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When I Made A Grave Leadership Mistake...

Writer's picture: FolaFola




A few years ago, I worked in an organization where I was head of the digital communication team. It was one of my favorite roles because I got to craft their digital image, set their digital footprint on the right path, curate and create content for web and social platforms. I drove engagement and led conversations that converted to good traffic.


But I made a grave error that I regret to this day .


I didn't replicate those skills or duplicate myself in the organization.


This error came to me after I had moved on to other roles elsewhere and 2 years later, everything in the digital comms department was exactly as I had left it.


I was hurt. Not only did they not hire to fill that position (that one's on them), there was no one inhouse to be promoted to continue where I left.


I was crushed. It felt like my 18months there was in vain. All that work and no continuity. That's where I blamed myself. I came, did my job, set a standard, and left without thinking about my legacy there. Yes the evidence of my good work could be seen but true legacy would have been the people I poured myself into to continue after me.


So I vowed to never let that happen anymore.


A key leadership lesson I'm learning is that leading is sharing, spreading and giving.


You should not be the only one in the room with the skills. Even if you started that way, your growth and effectiveness should be measured by how much of that skill of yours have been transferred to the team you lead.


Raise duplicates of yourself. Trust me, it will make your life easier. Not only will it make you better, it will increase the value of your organization because now, you have a team of professionals who are individually capable and you can step up to other things.


If you're the only shining star, you're doing something wrong. The goal is to raise a team of stars so your organization can be a constellation.


Another thing about sharing knowledge is, the more you give, the more you receive. You're improving yourself as you teach.


So don't be selfish. Share what you know.

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