This week my wife and I took our daughters on a road trip. We've done this before but because of the pandemic, the only road trip we recently took was down the hall. However, with careful preparation, we planned a nice get-away.
During the process of preparation, we also planned how we'd like for it to be when we came back home.
I'm not a fan of going on vacation and coming home to have to deal with something that could have been addressed beforehand. So we cleaned all the rooms, ensured all T's were crossed and all I's were dotted and left the home set for our return. But this got me thinking, how many leaders leave everything to function even in their absence?
The type of training that should be going on to ensure this is so, is first, position-based. This means we should be able to answer the question: what does this position require? Having filled the position, we must then transition the training focus to answer the question: what does this person need to excel in this position?
If we aren't training in a way that answers these two questions, we aren't setting things up for vacation time, let alone when we return.
As a leader, it's important to take a vacation. There's a lot that's on your shoulders and it's a healthy choice to unplug once in a while. However, I think the biggest fear is "what will happen while I'm gone?" But the true issue is that no one has been trained or entrusted to fulfill the requirements of the position and excel no matter what.
The idea of Jesus walking around with 12 disciples wasn't because he needed an entourage, it was to train as many people as possible so that in his departure, growth could continue to take place.
Are you training those around you asking both of these questions or one or none?
- What does this position require?
- What does this person need to excel in this position?
If we focus on these two questions, not only will we be able to fill the position appropriately, but we will also be able to evaluate and empower appropriately also; not to mention, we'll also be able to take a vacation.
