Becoming Replaceable

A Journey in Delegation

When I first launched my business, I was the ultimate multitasker—out of necessity. I sat in every single seat: the visionary, the integrator, sales and marketing, operations, and finance. In other words, I wore every hat. Like many entrepreneurs, that meant pouring my time and energy into a whirlwind of tasks—some of which left me drained and weren't really my strengths. The turning point came when I realized that to grow, I had to stop trying to do it all. I needed to figure out what I truly loved doing and what I was great at—my Unique Abilities™, a term from Dan Sullivan, and then let go of the rest. That’s where the journey from fear to joy began.

Motivated By Fear

If you’re anything like every other business owner I’ve worked with, this probably sounds familiar. Most founders start out wearing all the hats, and as the business grows, they find themselves bogged down in the daily grind—working in the business rather than on the business. They’re often caught in the details, believing they need to be involved in every decision to ensure it’s done right. That fear of letting go—the fear that no one else can do it as well or as urgently as they can, or others will value them less—is what holds so many leaders back. This thinking has to shift.

Shifting The Mindset

Here’s the truth: Delegation is not just about offloading tasks. It’s about embracing your Unique Abilities™—the things you love and do best—and allowing others to do the same. As Dan Sullivan says, when you focus on your Unique Abilities™, you elevate not just yourself, but also your team. Doing this requires a mindset that says, “I don’t love this or I’m not great at it. Someone else can do this better that I. I want to replace myself here.”

In their book, Rare Leadership in the Workplace, Drs. Marcus Warner and Jim Wilder teach that “from our brain’s perspective, joy is always relational” – it’s the feeling that someone is glad to be with us. And shifting from a fear-based mindset to a joy-based one is transformative. When you lead from joy, you create a culture of joy where people become more collaborative, creative, and ultimately more productive.

As you recognize and acknowledge that others are better than you at certain roles, and you creatively and collaboratively work on delegating, you shift the mindset of everyone who works for you as well. What you model will get replicated. Leading from joy empowers you and others to focus on what truly matters rather than what you’re trying to avoid.

Companies running on EOS® have an Accountability Chart that defines all the functions in the business with the five major roles for each. This becomes a roadmap for them to use to discern which seat a task or responsibility belongs. Coupled with the Delegate and Elevate tool, leaders develop a plan on what to delegate and to where / who.

Start Small

So here’s your first step: identify the tasks that energize you and those that drain you. Start replacing yourself by delegating some of the tasks that don’t fit your Unique Abilities™, even if it’s just one small step at a time. As you do, you’ll find more freedom, more joy, and a team that’s stronger and more capable than ever.

Joyful Culture

Imagine a business culture where everyone is glad to be together and operating in their zone of genius. Where leaders aren’t bogged down by fear, but are free to lead with joy. That’s the power of joy-based delegation and the vision we can all work toward—by making ourselves “irrelevant” in the best possible way, we create a more vibrant, empowered, and joyful workplace for everyone.

Let’s talk more about it: brent.stromwall@eosworldwide.com.