No One Is "Indispensable"
I recently talked with
someone who has a supervisor whom he considers “indispensable”.
To quote Elbert Hubbard, “The graveyards are full of people
the world could not do without.” This is
a salutary reminder that no matter how “indispensable” you may be, everyone
dies and the world has to dispense with their services (however reluctantly).
Following that macabre observation, as our conversation
developed, it turned out that my conversation partner had hired a perfectionist. This hire was very good at his work and
things always ran smoothly when he was around.
No worries, then, you may say.
Incorrect.
Because of his perfectionism, this supervisor fell into the
classic trap of being unable to delegate, because (in his opinion) nobody could
do the work as well as he could. As a
result, when volumes increased, he had no one with whom he could share the
load. This resulted in:
- Increased stress for the supervisor;
- Petulant behaviour towards colleagues and therefore…
- Increased stress for them (he was “senior” to many of them);
- Morale issues;
- Staff resignations;
- People management issues;
- The impression (for the supervisor involved) that he was indispensable and could get away with unprofessional behaviour;
- Unfair comparisons/assumptions on the part of staff concerned.
My conversation partner was in a dilemma: he could see the
situation, but felt his hands were tied.
What could he have done? He was scared of upsetting his supervisor and
losing him.
To start with, he could remember Hubbard above. When I talk with clients about staffing
issues, one point I make is that the proverbial bolt of lightning could strike
any of their staff - no matter how “indispensable” they are. Accept it, have a plan.
Next, always have
a backup. The US Navy SEALs say, “One is
none, two is one - always have a backup (whether it’s a gun, a helicopter or a
plan).” Have other staff who know the
work. It doesn't matter if they can’t do
it as well. It doesn’t matter if the knowledge is spread amongst two or three
others. They only need to be able to do
it. Encourage regular “cross-training” or doing duty as “holiday cover”. “Practice”, as they say, “makes perfect.”
Never let anyone
be the sole custodian of anything, whether processes, equipment, knowledge or
information. Show through salary and
other rewards that sharing is the
expected behaviour.
Encourage people to train others - reward them for doing
it. Make it a part of the promotion path
and salary increments.
Anyone who is encouraged to believe that they’re “indispensable”
is more trouble than they’re worth.
I have spent more than half my life delivering change in different world markets from the most developed to “emerging” economies. With more than 20 years in international financial services around the world running different operations and lending businesses, I started my own Consultancy to offer solutions for improving performance, productivity and risk management. I work with individuals, small businesses, charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across the world. An international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be contacted by email . My website provides a full picture of my portfolio of services. For strategic questions that you should be asking yourself, follow me at @wkm610.
Labels: Career, Leadership, Strategy, Teamwork
posted by William Martin @ 08:41
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