CheekyChicago

A: Rule one of office politics is never to make yourself indispensible.  It is a career basher.  Let’s be nice and say he’s so over committed this would be a burden instead of convicting him of selfishness with lazy as an adjective.  He isn’t so attached to you that if you make him the right deal he won’t do exactly what you want.  Tell him you will recruit and train a candidate so perfectly, he’ll be glad you took another position.  Find out from HR what hoops you must jump through – writing a job description, getting it approved, etc. – and jump.  If you know people outside the company who’d be good at your job, suggest them.  Just like a recruiter, give him three names to choose from and let him test them for chemistry and fit since you’ve already vetted them for job skills and experience.  Once confronted with one or more candidates, he can’t possibly turn you down – your “loss” won’t seem so tragic.  If you want to insure that the new hire succeeds, teach her how to manage the boss.  After all, you’ve proven that you know how to do it so pass that information on!  Boss management skills are a key ingredient of success in any job.