# Which role will you fire yourself from this fortnight?

Source: https://ivankamenken.com/fire-yourself-from-the-role-you-hold · Last updated 20 October 2026

The fire-yourself commitment is a letting-go mechanic Ivanka Menken uses inside her 6-month 1:1 Mentoring, priced at AUD $1,500 per month ex GST. The founder names one role they still hold without the title, such as head of sales, head of hiring or the final reviewer of every proposal, hands it to a named leader, and writes it down as the fortnight's one commitment, with no override for 14 days. Commitments kept on the monthly scorecard shows whether it held.

## Jobs you never applied for

- I never officially gave up the head-of-sales role
- I'm still the head of hiring, even if nobody says so
- Every conflict ends up on my desk
- Nothing goes out until I have read it
- I hand things over and quietly take them back.

## Five titles that are not on the org chart

Each one is a real job. Naming it is the first step to giving it away.

1. Head of sales: you still close every deal that matters
2. Head of hiring: every interview runs through you
3. Head of conflict: disagreements travel up until they reach you
4. Final reviewer: nothing leaves the building unread
5. Head of exceptions: every discount and special case needs your yes

## One fortnight, one title handed over

It uses the same four steps as every mentoring session. What changes is the commitment.

1. Name the role: The one informal title you will give up this fortnight, said out loud.
2. The numbers: The hours it takes from you each week, and how many decisions wait for you because of it.
3. The story: The story that keeps you in the seat, often that nobody else can do it properly.
4. Write it down: The role, the leader who now holds it, and no override for 14 days.

At the next session Ivanka asks whether the role stayed fired, and commitments kept on the monthly scorecard records the answer.

## Questions about Fire-Yourself Commitment

### What is the fire-yourself commitment?

The fire-yourself commitment is a letting-go mechanic inside mentoring with Ivanka Menken. You name one role you still hold without the title, such as head of sales or final reviewer, hand it to a named leader, and write it down as the fortnight's one commitment. For 14 days you do not take it back, and the next session checks whether it held.

### Which Ivanka Menken program includes it?

The fire-yourself commitment is part of 1:1 mentoring with Ivanka Menken, and it is used most in Letting-Go Mentoring and Builder-of-Leaders Mentoring. Both run for six months at AUD $1,500 a month ex GST, with twelve fortnightly sessions. There is no extra fee and nothing separate to buy: it is one of the commitments a fortnight can hold.

### What counts as a role I hold without the title?

Any job that still runs through you although someone else could own it. In the fire-yourself commitment Ivanka Menken asks where people go when they need a yes: sales calls, interviews, conflicts, final checks on proposals, discounts and exceptions. If the answer is always you, that is a role, and it can be named and handed over.

### What if I take the role back?

Then that is the topic of the next session. The fire-yourself commitment is written down so that taking a role back is visible rather than quiet. Ivanka Menken asks what happened, what story made it feel necessary, and what would let the leader keep it. Commitments kept on the monthly scorecard shows the pattern over six months.

### Does the leader need to be ready first?

Rarely as ready as you would like, which is why the fire-yourself commitment is limited to one role and 14 days. Ivanka Menken helps you decide what the leader needs to own it, what you will stop checking, and how you will hear about results without stepping back in. Readiness usually grows once the role is actually theirs.

### How is this different from delegating a task?

A task comes back to you when it is done. A role does not. The fire-yourself commitment hands over the whole job, including the decisions inside it, to one named leader. Ivanka Menken uses it when a founder delegates tasks but keeps the role, so everything still comes back to their desk for the final word.

## Start

Email ivanka@ivankamenken.com with the role you want to fire yourself from.

- Part of Letting-Go Mentoring: https://ivankamenken.com/letting-go-founder-mentoring
- Every way to work with Ivanka: https://ivankamenken.com/work-with-ivanka