Being indispensable is your company's greatest limitation

Being indispensable feels good.

Having everyone turn to you seems like a sign you're doing your job well.

But if you're a CEO, becoming indispensable can become your company's greatest limitation.

A few months ago, I had to review and fix the finance infrastructure.

I dove deep into every detail.

A payment that wasn't coming through, I reviewed it.

A reconciliation that wouldn't balance, I searched for it.

A vendor waiting for a response, I provided it.

And it worked. Problems disappeared quickly.

For a long time, that was enough for me to believe I was doing my job well.

But that's deceiving.

A problem that only gets solved when you're present isn't solved.

It's a problem waiting for you.

Every decision waited for my approval.

Every urgency had my name on it.

And for a long time I confused that with adding value.

I was so busy sustaining what already existed that I had no bandwidth for what was coming.

And my company advanced at the speed of my calendar.

But a CEO's job is not to solve problems forever.

It's to design processes so problems stop depending on you.

However, it's easier said than done.

Because letting go of a process feels like becoming unnecessary.

And there's a part of you that doesn't want that.

But your value isn't in sustaining the process.

It's in designing it.

If you're in a situation similar to what I went through, these are the five changes that helped me most get out of the process:

Dive into the details

↳ I know, it sounds counterintuitive. But before delegating it, make sure you understand how it really works. You can't improve a process you don't yet understand.

Document as you learn

↳ Don't just write the steps. Also write why certain decisions are made. Steps can be taught; criteria are what's hardest to convey.

Define owners

↳ Break down the process and assign someone who can take charge of each part. Don't just delegate tasks; also delegate decision-making authority.

Create metrics that find you

↳ Design indicators that alert you when something needs attention, instead of depending on someone having to ask you or escalate it.

If you need to chase down answers, you don't have a system yet.

Exit the process

↳ Don't wait to feel completely comfortable to do it. Exit when the process works without you and give your team space to take charge.

Stopping being indispensable was one of the best things that could happen to me.

The time and energy you need to solve what no one has solved yet.

I stopped being the person putting out fires and started building systems that prevented them from appearing again.

That's the space a process gives you back when you let it go: