No matter what your position is, you should try to train yourself out of your job. I don’t mean that should make yourself useless. Train someone else to do your job so you can move on as well.
At my current job, I am helping to train a couple of people. One of those people is training in my position. The more that he is able to learn and do on his own, the more it frees me up to do other things. I work in a factory, and I have a good grasp on all the areas of my machine. As a result, I am able to help teach people to do their job better.
I have a goal of getting out of this line of work. It’s not my passion. When I do leave, I will probably not look back and worry about how they are progressing. I will, however, want to know that I left them the best that I possibly could. Part of that is training my replacement.
You don’t have to approach the person and say that you are training them to replace you. That may either scare them out of it, or they could try to work at getting you out faster!
I think of the movie “Men in Black.” Will Smith plays the part of a rookie agent under Tommy Lee Jones. At the end, Jones says that he hasn’t been training a partner, but a replacement. Even though he was a cocky, know-it-all, Smith hesitantly, but decidedly, took the new role.
Surely there’s something else, or something more, that you would like to do. Training someone to do what you can free you up to pursue that.
“Yeah but that requires that I spend time with them, learn about them, learn how they learn best, and all that lame stuff. Who has the time?” ~Old Me
Great post Josh 🙂
Typos toward the end FYI
Even though he was a cocky, know-it-all, Smith hestantly, but decidedly, took the new role. – hesitantly
Training soneone to do what you can free you up to pursue that. – someone
“Yeah but that requires that I spend time with them, learn about them, learn how they learn best, and all that lame stuff. Who has the time?” ~Old Me
Great post Josh 🙂
Typos toward the end FYI
Even though he was a cocky, know-it-all, Smith hestantly, but decidedly, took the new role. – hesitantly
Training soneone to do what you can free you up to pursue that. – someone
@MattMcWilliams2 Thanks for pointing out the typos. They’re fixed now.
I used to have that same attitude. I used to view it as “job security”: if no one else can do my job, then I don’t have to worry about someone else taking it. I have realized that this is not true. On top of that, I didn’t create the opportunities to advance.
@JoshuaWRivers Yeah “job security” is only a good thing if you really, really, really want to never advance, never evolve, and never be challenged.
Great post – but my problem is that “no one will do it right” – have to get over that feeling because they might not do it the way I do it, but they will do it well. Definitely something I need to work on.
@CarolDublin Don’t you hate that! Why can’t people do it right? Lol