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For 30 years, my parents and 9 million Americans tuned in nightly to witness the King of Late Night, Johnny Carson, host The Tonight Show on NBC.
During his reign, Carson mentored rising comedians by delegating his desk. This provided them with an invaluable experience while exposing Carson to their talent. Each year during his weeks-long vacation, Carson invited various guest hosts to helm the program, including Joan Rivers, Bob Newhart, Jerry Lewis, Garry Shandling, David Letterman, and Sammy Davis Jr. When Carson retired in 1992, he confidently recommended Letterman to be his successor based on years of delegating his desk. While NBC eventually chose Jay Leno, Carson continued to mentor Letterman, faxing him jokes for his monologues and offering him career guidance. When CBS approached Letterman with an opportunity to create a show to directly compete with Leno, Carson said, “Take it.” To this day, Letterman attributes much of his career success to Carson’s profound influence. And, during his 33-year late-night legacy, Letterman continued the tradition of delegating the desk to various guest hosts, including Jimmy Fallon. In 2022, late-night host Jimmy Kimmel started deploying guest hosts on his show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and Jimmy Fallon began using guest co-hosts on his show, The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Surprisingly, Letterman’s successor, Stephen Colbert, has not (yet!) invited guest hosts to lead The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. When Colbert’s appendix ruptured last year, he chose to cancel his show for three weeks instead of delegating his desk. Rumor has it that Colbert feared a replacement would steal his limelight, so he opted instead to show re-runs during his absence. Delegation hesitation is pervasive. Often resulting from insecurity, Colbert and managers everywhere fear:
However, not sharing the stage is ultimately a missed opportunity. When done with clarity and championship, delegation becomes a collaborative partnership and an opportunity for mentorship. Most significantly, delegation serves as tangible succession planning, providing vital exposure and experiences to nurture talent. Moreover, delegating unburdens the delegator to confidently take a vacation or recover from unforeseen illness, pursue other projects, and contribute strategically. Carson would not have lasted 30 years on stamina and re-runs. Only when we stop being the star and start developing stars can we shift from manager to leader. © 2024. Ann Tardy and MentorLead. www.mentorlead.com. All Rights Reserved. |