You’ve got way too much work to do and not enough time to get it done.  

Your boss is coming in and asking you for answers to questions that he asked you two weeks ago. 

But you haven’t gotten to that project yet because you’re still working on a project from last month. 

You don’t have enough hands to manage all the important projects that you’ve been asked to lead. 

When you’re in a leadership position, there are many big projects that you will get asked to do.  

Many times, you want to say yes, because you’re a contributor.  

You want to be a bigger part of the organization and make a difference for the frontline people who look up to you every day. 

That’s your focus.  

So you’re quick to say yes and add more on your plate. 

But the more you add on your plate, the more you may not be able to do the basic responsibilities that you were hired to do. 

And so now you’re trying to figure out how to clone yourself. 

You wish you had a clone; somebody else that could do half of your job. 

If you don’t find a way to clone yourself, it’s going to be very difficult for you to succeed. 

So the question is: How do you clone yourself?  

You develop the people around you. 

1. Invest in your team.  

Put them in a position to be successful and take some stuff off your plate. 

You can’t micromanage.  

You can’t look over your shoulder.  

You can’t be all of the things they will ask you to be.  

Give them some wings and allow them to fly on their own.  

Don’t be afraid to give big projects to your team.  

Don’t be afraid to find interns. 

Bring them into the organization and give them some projects as well.  

If you want to be a good leader, you’ve got to find a way to develop leadership.  

2. Engage with people who are younger and less experienced in the organization. 

Give them opportunities to grow.  

Find a way to become a good mentor and mentor them.  

Mentorship is something that you’ve got to do deliberately. 

You’ve really got to focus on mentorship.  

3. Coach them through it. 

You may have to coach your team through some of the difficult parts of work. 

Coaching is okay. 

You want to show them how to get it done.  

Don’t do it for them, but show them how it could get done. 

And still allow them creative freedom to get it done.  

This will give you more time back so you can focus on the things that matter.  

That’s what great leaders do.  

They find a way to focus on the things that matter.  

And the thing that matters most is developing a competent and capable team.  

Who’s able to help you carry out twice as much work?