There is something compellingly seductive about being indispensable. Everyone needs us. People line up to talk to us. Our opinion carries weight. People think we are important. Nevertheless, it it is extremely poor leadership.
The leader’s role is not to do all the work but to equip others to get the job done. Leaders measure their accomplishments not by how tired they are at the end of the day but by how much others under their leadership were able to achieve. The problem is that when leaders are consumed with their own tasks, they have difficulty thinking about how to enhance the labor of others. Some people are enticed by feelings of being needed and even of being overworked. While they may complain of all the work they have to do, in reality, they wouldn’t have it any other way.
The reality is that help is usually not far away. However, as long as we plod along with our reams of tasks, we neglect those who could thrive doing the very work that is wearing us out. By refusing to invest in others, we rob them of the opportunity to rise to new heights of accomplishment. Is the problem that no one will help you, or that you have not taken the time to train and equip others? What will your legacy be? Will everyone talk about how hard you worked? Or, will they testify that they reached new heights in their own leadership because you invested in and believed in them?