Stop trying to be indispensable—the business grows the moment you aren’t.

You don’t scale by doing more—you scale by replacing yourself in the right seats. In this episode, Onika and I unpack the uncomfortable shift from “I do everything” to “I build the team that does everything,” including the identity and ego traps that keep smart leaders stuck.

We walk through the practical side: how to decide who should take the wheel (sales, ops, GM), how to define the bullseye profile beyond a generic job description, and how to run a fast—but not sloppy—process that candidates actually enjoy. We also get tactical on onboarding cadence, 30/60/90s, and the difference between owning the process vs. trying to be in every interview. If you want to move up a level, your job is to multiply leadership—starting now.

Segments:

00:00 — Why you can’t grow until you replace yourself

02:05 — My early lesson: doing it all vs. building a team

03:45 — Identity & ego: the hidden throttle on scale

05:10 — Trusting others and becoming a “master delegator”

05:55 — Delegating budgets: why section leads beat heroics

06:55 — Succession planning as important as the financial plan

08:15 — Beyond generic JDs: aim for the bullseye avatar

10:55 — Pitch your company to candidates like a product

13:30 — Hiring ≠ delegation; hiring = leadership multiplier

15:20 — Proactive vs. reactive hiring (and the “beer goggles” trap)

19:05 — Speed with respect: candidate communication that wins

25:10 — Onboarding cadence and 30/60/90s that set people up to win

29:10 — The personnel-file wake-up call: feedback must match decisions

34:05 — Hard truth: no one is indispensable—build leaders or plateau

36:05 — The promotion unlock: develop leaders at every level

Looking for your next leader? Contact us: ken@theleaderslab.co or take the Free ScaleUp Leadership Survey at theleaderslab.co

#Leadership #SuccessionPlanning #Hiring #ScalingUp #TalentAcquisition