Mister indispensable executive

I once met a man whose story still sticks in my mind.

- FRANCIS J. KONG

Let’s call him the Indispensable Executive.

His biggest pride was simple: nothing happened without his approval.

Every decision, every approval, every “Let me check with the boss” was something he was proud of.

“My team needs me,” he’d say, his voice full of satisfaction.

When he finally took a two-week family vacation, things started to fall apart.

He barely lasted 48 hours.

By day three, he was in their hotel room bathroom, phone to his ear, whispering orders as his wife knocked impatiently.

By the end of the trip, his kids had renamed the bathroom: “Daddy’s office.”

He came home and laughed about it.

Was it really funny?

The truth he missed was this:

He hadn’t built a team at all.

He’d built an audience.

An audience gets quiet the moment the performer leaves the stage.

So I asked him a question.

Imagine a year in which your wife takes you on an Alaskan cruise, then a South African adventure, then a trip to the Bahamas, adding up to two whole months away from your desk.

Would your business keep running without you?

It was actually a polite way of saying, “If you were to die and depart from this planet, would your business continue or not?”

He shook his head.

“I don’t think so,” he said.

I looked at him and said, “Then you’re in trouble.”

David Finkel, co-author of Scale, writes extensively on leadership.