Ryan McGrath is the CEO and President of Asset Living, one of the largest property management firms in the United States.
There’s a popular myth in leadership that the best leaders are irreplaceable. That if the operation can’t function without you, you must be essential. But the truth is, if nothing works without you, you haven’t built a team—you’ve built a bottleneck.
It’s not a leader’s job to be indispensable. It’s to design an organization that is durable, scalable and calm even when you’re not there.
The Most Valuable Leaders Make Themselves Less Central Over Time
Early in any leader’s journey, being hands-on is necessary. You’re making the calls, solving problems and setting the pace. But if that’s still true years later, something’s off.
Long-term leadership isn’t about being involved in everything—it’s about building a team that can operate without constant input. The best leaders don’t design systems that rely on them. They design systems that reflect their standards, then teach others how to carry that forward.
When the day-to-day runs well without your fingerprints on every detail, you’ve earned the right to work on the business, not just in it. That’s how you identify, and build toward, what’s next for the organization.
Lessons From Dynasties And Durable Companies
In elite sports, top teams don’t just win—they outlast. Take the Houston Astros, for example. Even as key players come and go, the organization remains a contender. That’s not luck—it’s culture. It’s not about one star. It’s about a shared standard and a structure that sustains it.
In business, I believe companies like Costco and Toyota succeed across generations of leadership because their principles are embedded in every process and person. These principles are not just posted on a wall or held by a founder. Contrast that with companies that stumble when execution relies too heavily on one person. The difference isn’t talent—it’s transfer. It’s how well the DNA of leadership is passed on.
From Leading People To Leading Through People
One of the most overlooked shifts in leadership is the move from leading people to leading through them. The former is about control. The latter is about trust.
When leaders insist on being the sole point of decision-making, they limit the team’s growth. But when they invest in developing other leaders—coaching them, giving them room to fail and recover—they unlock scale.
This requires intentionality. It means teaching people not just what to do, but how to develop ideas and solve problems. It also means being okay with people solving problems differently than you would.
Building The Machine
The best leaders don’t just think about the next quarter—they think about the next generation. They focus on building infrastructure that lasts.
Structure Over Personality
Can things run cleanly when you’re focused elsewhere?
Systems Over Improvisation
Can the work be repeated at scale with consistent quality?
Shared Language
Does the team have a clear, common way of thinking and talking about goals, progress and accountability?
In the military, this is called “commander’s intent”—a clear understanding of what success looks like, so teams can operate independently even in chaos. In business, the principle is the same. When people understand the mission and vision deeply, they don’t need constant supervision. They lead.
How To Make Yourself Operationally Obsolete
This isn’t about leaving—it’s about leveling up. Making yourself less central to daily execution frees you to focus on bigger moves, bigger risks and bigger opportunities for the company.
Codify your thinking.
Explain the reasons behind your decisions. Write it down. Build repeatable frameworks others can use when you’re focused elsewhere.
Delegate outcomes, not tasks.
Give people responsibility for results, not just checklists. It forces ownership and autonomy.
Design redundancies.
Reduce the risk of institutional knowledge leaving with one person. Cross-train. Build in backups. Normalize documentation.
Coach before you step back.
Develop your next layer of leaders while you’re close. Then give them space before you give them the reins.
Celebrate independence.
Highlight when something goes well without your involvement. Reinforce the idea that this is success—not a threat to your role.
Operational Obsolescence Is A Strategic Advantage
Becoming less necessary isn’t a sign of fading relevance—it’s a sign of maturity. It means you’ve created something that runs on purpose, not personality. That’s legacy.
The goal isn’t to be everywhere. It’s to make sure the right things happen—whether you’re in the room or not.
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