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Somewhat off topic, though perhaps something for consideration... Whichever job I had, I always considered it my prime objective to make my own position obsole

Somewhat off topic, though perhaps something for consideration... Whichever job I had, I always considered it my prime objective to make my own position obsolete. In other words, I measured my personal success to whether or not I had made myself redundant. At first glance, one might think it contradictory that - save one exception - I was never laid off, found it easy to navigate to (more) interesting projects, etc.

gcatalfamo 8y ago
I also live by this rule. And as a manager even more so. The more I put my coworkers in a situation where they can work and I become useless the better I am being as a manager. Forgive the super generalization, but The manager role is to facilitate and not to strictly give orders. At least it shouldn’t be in the knowledge work space. Organize and facilitate. Become useless.
- fpalmans 8y ago
  Exactly! some thoughts As a manager, becoming completely redundant can only be truly achieved by coaching a replacement. I would advocate in stead of using phrases such as 'useless' or 'corporate fat', to adopt 'retained managerial expertise.' Finding people who can both manage teams effectively and train new managers are extremely valuable. In larger organizations they would be promoted to 'managers of managers.' Smaller organizations might have no immediate need for such talent, though, those people are crucial if they want to scale. In other words - you should either become a management consultant for small businesses, or help a small business grow.
Isammoc 8y ago
Same rule here! My prime objective is to be able to go on vacation without any call of emergency, but the point is I showed that I was not necessary when I was ill and not at work for a month. Two weeks after my return, the up management shows me the door... Nevertheless, I think it is my best move to make my own position useless. I need peace of mind in vacation, I need autonomous coworkers, I need challenging problems to solve, and more, my whole team is happier that way. The up management did not understand that... too bad for them.
- fpalmans 8y ago
  Most valuable is the fact that one can only make oneself redundant when the role and expectation is completely understood. Best part is; when interviewing for your next position you can explain how you improved the operations and saved (at least) one full time employee. EDIT: Just wanted to add that openly discussing the above opened the door to job opportunities which traditionally weren't listed in my day (>20 years ago, in Belgium). Roles, which for political (sometimes even legal) reasons required direct employment (as opposed to being externally contracted), though without the possibility of this employment to indefinite. edit2: Some clarification... I might be remembering things incorrectly, perhaps someone can enlighten me. I was very young and perhaps only had the impression I was offered special roles. I recall - perhaps incorrectly - that employment contracts were usually of indefinite duration. Any employment contract with limited duration put an employee in a completely different class, a class which could not be made accountable for business decisions. Anyway, not having worked in Belgium for over a decade, it feels very odd to think that truly was the case... So - take the 'edits' with a sizable grain of salt ;-)
quickthrower2 8y ago
Not sure how that works for a developer, as there is usually more work to do, a big backlog etc. I could only make myself redundant by stopping progress in software.
- fpalmans 8y ago
  Very good point. When I was a developer myself, I implemented that philosophy by making sure that whatever knowledge or expertise I had, which distinguished me from the other developers in my team was shared and distributed to my colleagues. So - in stead of making myself redundant, I endeavored made myself replaceable. Note: Though, the only time I worked as a developer, I was more experienced and knowledgeable than my team members (very junior team); I was never a great or experienced developer. In retrospect, I probably wasn't even a good developer.

gcatalfamo 8y ago

I also live by this rule. And as a manager even more so. The more I put my coworkers in a situation where they can work and I become useless the better I am being as a manager. Forgive the super generalization, but The manager role is to facilitate and not to strictly give orders. At least it shouldn’t be in the knowledge work space. Organize and facilitate. Become useless.

fpalmans 8y ago
Exactly! some thoughts As a manager, becoming completely redundant can only be truly achieved by coaching a replacement. I would advocate in stead of using phrases such as 'useless' or 'corporate fat', to adopt 'retained managerial expertise.' Finding people who can both manage teams effectively and train new managers are extremely valuable. In larger organizations they would be promoted to 'managers of managers.' Smaller organizations might have no immediate need for such talent, though, those people are crucial if they want to scale. In other words - you should either become a management consultant for small businesses, or help a small business grow.

Isammoc 8y ago

Same rule here! My prime objective is to be able to go on vacation without any call of emergency, but the point is I showed that I was not necessary when I was ill and not at work for a month. Two weeks after my return, the up management shows me the door... Nevertheless, I think it is my best move to make my own position useless. I need peace of mind in vacation, I need autonomous coworkers, I need challenging problems to solve, and more, my whole team is happier that way. The up management did not understand that... too bad for them.

fpalmans 8y ago
Most valuable is the fact that one can only make oneself redundant when the role and expectation is completely understood. Best part is; when interviewing for your next position you can explain how you improved the operations and saved (at least) one full time employee. EDIT: Just wanted to add that openly discussing the above opened the door to job opportunities which traditionally weren't listed in my day (>20 years ago, in Belgium). Roles, which for political (sometimes even legal) reasons required direct employment (as opposed to being externally contracted), though without the possibility of this employment to indefinite. edit2: Some clarification... I might be remembering things incorrectly, perhaps someone can enlighten me. I was very young and perhaps only had the impression I was offered special roles. I recall - perhaps incorrectly - that employment contracts were usually of indefinite duration. Any employment contract with limited duration put an employee in a completely different class, a class which could not be made accountable for business decisions. Anyway, not having worked in Belgium for over a decade, it feels very odd to think that truly was the case... So - take the 'edits' with a sizable grain of salt ;-)

quickthrower2 8y ago

Not sure how that works for a developer, as there is usually more work to do, a big backlog etc. I could only make myself redundant by stopping progress in software.

fpalmans 8y ago
Very good point. When I was a developer myself, I implemented that philosophy by making sure that whatever knowledge or expertise I had, which distinguished me from the other developers in my team was shared and distributed to my colleagues. So - in stead of making myself redundant, I endeavored made myself replaceable. Note: Though, the only time I worked as a developer, I was more experienced and knowledgeable than my team members (very junior team); I was never a great or experienced developer. In retrospect, I probably wasn't even a good developer.