“Your job is to make yourself replaceable.”

Isn’t that bullshit? Anyone who’s been doing important work leaves a hole behind them that can’t be filled exactly. Other people will bring something new but the premise is false.

I think maybe this comes down to different readings of “replaceable”. I can read it in two ways:

1. Easy to replace with an equivalent
2. Possible to cover the same areas but in different ways

I’ve haven’t seen (1) much, people go but their absence still felt years later.

Like someone sitting on the knowledge of how a system works and not sharing with anyone is obviously a problem. But even the most “delegating” person doesn’t disappear without some severed connections and insight, tactical knowledge and tacit wisdom being lost.

And you know, in some ways that’s good! Stale gives way to the fresh.

I guess the thing I was originally getting at is that if you’re trying to do your best work, you are probably advancing in “being you”, which by definition is not directly replaceable. You’re going to do it in some unique way. There should be backup plan but there’s only one you!