tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3574186837508212099.post3622455499135723016..comments2024-03-18T05:14:41.052-04:00Comments on Leadership is a Verb ™: Beware the indispensible!John Bishophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13628653965740158626noreply@blogger.comBlogger73125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3574186837508212099.post-16990291970355237692010-03-24T19:45:14.822-04:002010-03-24T19:45:14.822-04:00This hit home! I had this very discussion yesterda...This hit home! I had this very discussion yesterday...and now rather than 'fearful'...I am empowered! I'm going to share this with my team today!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3574186837508212099.post-3652797085439645102010-03-24T19:44:48.301-04:002010-03-24T19:44:48.301-04:00Just before 2001 I was deemed an "Indespensib...Just before 2001 I was deemed an "Indespensible Key Person" by well intentioned Management. They sent over an organizational effectiveness consultant to interview me - in search of the key to keeping the program running smoothly. I laughed at him - stating that if I left my position, the younger and more talented members of the team would easily take over. These same team members were shocked when they heard this. They imagined that being in charge and accountable would cramp their style. I assured them that they could easily take on the responsibility without any problem - and thus get promoted. In October of 2001, I was mobilized by the US Army - prompting me to walk away from the lead position and the company without ever looking back. The team resumed without a hitch - I was proud to make way for the next leader.Frank Asencionoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3574186837508212099.post-75789161605880009512010-03-24T19:43:48.834-04:002010-03-24T19:43:48.834-04:00Who defines "indispencible?" If a manage...Who defines "indispencible?" If a manager considers a leader to be indispencible, yet the employees underneath and/or at peer levels see the deficiencies, such as hoarding information, micro managing, gate keeper of information to C-levels....at what point does the organization make a change? What price does the organization pay before Mr/Ms Indispencible is gone?Andrew Halonennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3574186837508212099.post-29455827671773190522010-03-23T20:52:02.038-04:002010-03-23T20:52:02.038-04:00I have seen this at play especially when the level...I have seen this at play especially when the level of innovation grows stagnant, and the team goes from "Forward Looking" to "Holding onto what I know". Without the presence of continuous change, folks feel like they have to hold onto what they know rather than sharing it with the team. People define themselves through what they do a lot of the times. If there aren't any new toys to play with, then why would anyone share theirs. <br /><br />I can definitely see why the whole team will step up and flourish without the role of the expert. They always had the capacity to perform the role, but lacked the internal confidence (perceived authority) & the classification as the "specialist". But once the specialist is gone, the risk beomes more managable, and at the same time, its a new toy.Kevin Wong, PMPnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3574186837508212099.post-48169179159913626992010-03-23T20:51:31.163-04:002010-03-23T20:51:31.163-04:00I do agree that there are circumstances where the ...I do agree that there are circumstances where the person that is considered crucial to the success of any program may be a hindrance to improvements. The flip side is when new management comes in, eliminates personnel and de-values the many contributions of the seasoned staff, creating a knowledge vacuum and in some cases the inability to re-fill with any level of quality candidate. However, to minimize it is essential for cross training and encouragement of cross-functional/concurrent teams to interact to minimize this variable.Brad Burchnellnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3574186837508212099.post-26241407876931294332010-03-22T19:46:34.971-04:002010-03-22T19:46:34.971-04:00I think it just depends on the situation. I left a...I think it just depends on the situation. I left a department behind when I took my current position. I made tremendous efforts to pass along best practices and train the people around me before I left. I left detailed intstructions for pretty much everything. Out of the entire department, I believe there was one person who actually made the effort to learn and do things right, the rest of the bunch just abandoned all process and now they do just enough to 'get by'. That department is poorly managed as well, which just adds to the apathy. Out of our 5 yearly objectives we strive to meet, their department is the only one that fell short.Emily Brannon, SPSMnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3574186837508212099.post-59465828769772050542010-03-22T19:46:04.859-04:002010-03-22T19:46:04.859-04:00I learned a very important lesson as a 2nd Lieuten...I learned a very important lesson as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. Some individuals may appear critical and indispensible, but their departure is same as if they were stepping out of a small pool. At first there is some turbulence, ripples and then calm. The real issue is change - not key personnel. Employees and Managers in most organizations do not like change or having to plan for contingencies. Empowered gatekeepkers allow personnel to be complacent and avoid the extra effort of maintaining situational awareness. We can all keep up with situational changes by being involved.Frank Asencionoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3574186837508212099.post-7070436445768622822010-03-22T19:45:18.234-04:002010-03-22T19:45:18.234-04:00I happened to be thinking about this topic over th...I happened to be thinking about this topic over the weekend. It reminded me of one of my early bosses about 20 years ago. During a conversation about being indispencible, Bob (manager) in a very straight Bostonian voice said. "If you ever have an employee that acts as if they are indispencible, FIRE 'EM"! <br /><br />Harsh I thought. Bob's is follow up statement put it in place. "If an employee ever feels that they are indispencible, they will pick up and leave when it is best for them, not most likely not best for you."<br /><br />I am not sure we should ever behave this abrupt, but as you manage staff, programs and products; having indispencible team members can be a problem for future growth. Regular turnover should be encouraged for development and growth of the team and the individuals. Change can be a good thing and still be win-win!Christian Eppersnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3574186837508212099.post-28572262605978833542010-03-22T19:44:26.209-04:002010-03-22T19:44:26.209-04:00John Bishop and Frank Asencio are right on the mon...John Bishop and Frank Asencio are right on the money. These types are debilitating to the future path of any company. The temporary small loss of cutting them lose, or cutting them down are nothing compared to the gain of their departure.Lawrence van Rijnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3574186837508212099.post-90097523273964014712010-03-21T07:05:53.424-04:002010-03-21T07:05:53.424-04:00In my last position, we had to separate the work b...In my last position, we had to separate the work between 3 people in order to meet the aggressive deadlines for our work. The problem started when our systems and processes started changing and the three of us didn't have time to cross train each other. One of my co-workers was transferred to a another program in November. There are almost no written documentation for his work. It was extremely frustrating for the person who took his job. In January, I was released from my job after 3.5 years of work. However, I wasn't worried about my co-workers. I left them with detailed instructions for all of my deliverable work. In a previous job, the President of my company instructed everyone to create a "RoadKill Manual", which is a detailed set of instructions for major tasks. If a person has the required systems access, they should be able to perform most of my previous job. Learning to document your work is the best thing to you can do to insure peaceful continuance of your work after you leave.Karel Goodwinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3574186837508212099.post-24396229405461458552010-03-11T11:25:40.454-05:002010-03-11T11:25:40.454-05:00One noteworthy "indispensable person" ex...One noteworthy "indispensable person" experience that I recall was in working with a small team where the office manager had partnered with the owner since day 1 of the business. There was an unwritten agreement that she would handle the operations and the owner would work with the customers. Years went by and the business grew. The indispensable person was indispensable because she did know all of the operations and the owner did not--however-she had no real authority--the owner held to that. When the economy tanked, the owner realized that she had to either give authority to this office manager or learn how to gleen this critical information for herself and take responsibility for ALL of the organization. We can make others indispensable with how we divide the work and avoiding talking about what is really important day to day.gloria willishttp://www.explodeproduction.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3574186837508212099.post-85459896838851106792010-03-03T19:04:32.477-05:002010-03-03T19:04:32.477-05:00As long as the team is sound, someone always steps...As long as the team is sound, someone always steps up to fill the organizational void. Any operation that depends on a single individual is exposing a fatal flaw that limits the potential of other members. A healthy organization is never completely dependent on an individual.Gary Bossnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3574186837508212099.post-3688272142036248512010-02-27T17:31:34.376-05:002010-02-27T17:31:34.376-05:00Actually in coaching we called it addition by subt...Actually in coaching we called it addition by subtraction!!! Wonderful post and when I sit down with business owners to many times I hear about how great a office manager was and I think why then do you need us to go get your loss A/R back!?<br />I agree more owners to level the field and not allow one person so much control...walter townesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3574186837508212099.post-86795640204403031762010-02-27T17:30:58.865-05:002010-02-27T17:30:58.865-05:00Hey, I'm not suggesting everyone should be fir...Hey, I'm not suggesting everyone should be fired and that solves all of the problems. I'm just a small biz guy who works hard, tries to satisfy my clients, and get the job done. The other consultants I work with are like me, and they respond to a competive marketplace. They know they're not indispensible so they try harder to satisfy their clients (like me). <br /><br />I'm not suggesting all companies should be 100% outsourced and run by unitary bosses, but I often think "indispensibles" have a sense of entitlement and have forgotten the big picture.<br /><br />Perhaps there's a way to make all employees feel more like "owners" or "consultants" within the business, with common goals and shared acheivement. In the meantime I'll let the big organization people ponder that.Philip Harriaunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3574186837508212099.post-27957196793987753552010-02-27T17:30:25.991-05:002010-02-27T17:30:25.991-05:00Would the best organizations then be run by:
1. T...Would the best organizations then be run by:<br /><br />1. The unitary boss<br />2. consultants<br />3. 100% outsourced workers?<br /><br />How would those outsourcing supplier organizations be run?<br />Are the outsourced organizations (payroll, sickdays, morale) <br />now considered someone else's problem. Dog-eat-dog.<br /><br />Does this style of play go on within the outsourced organization, which can also outsource?<br /><br />And I've worked with consultants - they'll say anything to keep their consultancy<br />going. <br /><br />You all are very funny (especially since I don't report to you in the hierarchy.) Do you guys read Dilbert?Robert Schaefernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3574186837508212099.post-50395939008109981432010-02-27T17:29:42.702-05:002010-02-27T17:29:42.702-05:00Excellent post! I run a small business, and one of...Excellent post! I run a small business, and one of my employees over a 12-year period had become rather expert in a number of tasks within my organization. I thought she was "indispensible" and the company would suffer. But during the downturn, I was forced to let her go. Guess what? I now have a network of outside consultants who...<br /><br />1. Need to compete for my business, get these tasks done quicker, better and without complaining.<br />2. Are not on the payroll when we are not busy.<br />3. Don't take sick days.<br />4. Do what it takes to keep their committment.<br />5. Brought in fresh ideas from the outside so we can do our job better.<br /><br />When indispensibles leave, there's a bit of pain and anxiety, but it does not last long...and the rewards come quickly!Philip Harriaunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3574186837508212099.post-45452977230522616692010-02-27T17:28:47.163-05:002010-02-27T17:28:47.163-05:00Aren't program managers and VP's similarly...Aren't program managers and VP's similarly replaceable for the same reasons?Robert Schaefernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3574186837508212099.post-25403071468159809232010-02-22T22:06:57.908-05:002010-02-22T22:06:57.908-05:00What about the person that is holding the team tog...What about the person that is holding the team together? What happens when the person who has built the team around them and created better leaders? I have struggled with these thoughts on what my team would be like if I were to let another person run the group... I confess- fresh blood is always an interesting thought.Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00592381034546022339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3574186837508212099.post-92073854729657323672010-02-21T20:52:32.913-05:002010-02-21T20:52:32.913-05:00Mr. Bishop, I've read a lot of your posts and ...Mr. Bishop, I've read a lot of your posts and disagreed with most but this is the first time I feel compelled to reply.<br /><br />I couldn't agree more that allowing people to maneuver into "indispensable" positions is a bad idea, both for the people and the organization. I obviously don't know all the details of the situation with Tara; however, from the information provided your conclusion about the productivity improvement is an unjustified jump to a conclusion and laughable. <br /><br />Let me summarize this very simply: If B follows A, it DOES NOT always mean A necessarily caused B. Just because the productivity went up doesn't mean Tara was holding everybody back. It seems pretty clear you had one person doing the majority of the work with everybody else just doing what they had to do to stay. Once that one person was no longer there, the others decided they had to do something to justify their existence. Don't confuse the base instincts of people with brilliant management. The manager who settled for the productivity of essentially one person of the team prior to Tara leaving is the real villain here. Instead of patting yourself on the back excessively for coming to a wrong conclusion, I would have tried to find out how many OTHER teams consist of one or two main contributors and a majority of hangers-on. Also, did it ever occur to you that Tara wanted to leave because she was tired of working with a team that did not carry its part of the workload? Additionally, even if in the extremely unlikely event that Tara WAS holding others back, why didn't the other team members complain, or if they did why didn't the direct supervisor do something about it? In the former case, motivated professional people will not put up with that kind of situation unless they know the organization doesn't care, which turns it back on the direct supervisor and/or his/her superiors. In the latter case, the direct supervisor either found that it's easier not to do anything as long as the job is getting done or was told this by his/her superiors. Since you didn't say that you knew Tara was holding others back, it either wasn't happening or you didn't know it was happening, which again points to the direct supervisor.<br /><br />The ultimate cause of the "indispensable person" situation is management failure, and one of the main causes of management failure is to attribute coincidental solutions of complicated problems to the results of faulty or incomplete analysis.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3574186837508212099.post-52210347722816297692010-02-21T12:12:38.703-05:002010-02-21T12:12:38.703-05:00I could see either scenario playing out, largely d...I could see either scenario playing out, largely dependent upon the traits and qualities of that 'indispensable' individual. Some experts in a given workgroup can tend to "hoard" information, whether it's a subconscious decision or not... Information hoarders recognize the leverage they can create in being that "go-to" person and may use it to their advantage. However, if the person was always willing to share their expertise and colleagues simply never took advantage of it until that person left... Well, I think that says more about the other players than it does about the individual leaving.Greg Waitenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3574186837508212099.post-47653411001007903492010-02-19T17:58:03.041-05:002010-02-19T17:58:03.041-05:00Dear John,
It is a wonderful observation and true...Dear John,<br /><br />It is a wonderful observation and true. <br /><br />But the so called Indispensable Employees have reached the place the hard way either by the sheer loyal length of service or their high dependability clubbed with Appetite to take on additional workload/accountability/Risk beyond their "call of duty". <br /><br />Some good Organizational practices can restrict such long term bottlenecks towards growth. <br /><br />- It is important that a shuffle in roles is done either laterally or vertically depending on the organizational bandwidth. <br />- Ensure a fairly audited matrix of Roles & Responsibilities. Clear accountabilities spelt out. Ensure no dummies exist who delegate it to somebody else conveniently. <br />- Have such Indispensable persons identified and send them on a Short term or long career development course (A win-win for both). It will give enough space for the down the line leaders to emerge.<br />- Have adequate forums or projects or opportunities for down the line leaders. It will help in keeping the Organizational structure Flat, Transparent & less bureaucratic which Indispensable employees tend to encourage by restricting information flow.<br /><br />Above may be easier said than done. It is a call that the key stakeholders within an organization must take at some point of time to break such trends. But fail to do so, to avoid upsetting a smoothly running operation (Short Term Objectives).<br /><br />Rgds,<br /><br />PrashantPrashant Bhaskarannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3574186837508212099.post-16928939285528307452010-02-19T17:57:25.156-05:002010-02-19T17:57:25.156-05:00Thanks for this post!
While I can't think at ...Thanks for this post!<br /><br />While I can't think at the moment of a particular time when an indispensable team member was holding the team back, I do recall the opposite--the highest performance teams I have seen have had no one critical member that we all could not do without. All members were viewed as critical, but none as indispensable.<br /><br />What I take away from this is, as the leader, it is my responsibility to not let myself become indispensable. 100% of my people are not located near me--I am near our sales team and customers in one country and they are all near suppliers in other countries. While it may be easier to allow my people to rely on me for oversight and approval of their work before it goes to our sales team, the much harder but right thing to do is to get out of the way and encourage and guide direct communication. This requires a high degree of trust from everyone involved (which, but the way, is also a key element among the members of any high performance team)!<br /><br />It is also my responsibility to not allow any one person on the team to become indispensable either. It is easier to continue to load up my "star player" with work because I know it will get done, but the harder, right thing to do is to challenge and develop all my team members to all become "star players" in their own right. This involves a lot of work, leadership and trust on everyone's part.<br /><br />Indispensable people probably fall into two categories--those like the SVP that actively hoarded information in a bid for power, and Tara who was the project expert because it was easier for everyone else to go to her than to learn the ropes themselves. The fault for letting either happen is with the leader (the SVP himself, with the "assist" by the CEO in the one case). Likewise with the leader is the responsibility for the remedy.Mike Charronnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3574186837508212099.post-1556210167984021942010-02-19T17:56:48.544-05:002010-02-19T17:56:48.544-05:00John
What you say is true. I think there are a lo...John<br /><br />What you say is true. I think there are a lot of "indispensible" people who really hold that position because they hoard information, spread disinformation may be and limit potential.<br /><br />I have seen a few!<br /><br />While, for sure, I believe that nobody is indispensible, I do think that not all "indispensible" people fall in this devious category.Iqbal Noornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3574186837508212099.post-22668033350878479642010-02-18T19:36:48.748-05:002010-02-18T19:36:48.748-05:00Great post on a topic that isn't discussed muc...Great post on a topic that isn't discussed much. Not every high achiever is a high achiever in the positive sense. It's an important lesson for our achiever culture.Heath Davis Havlickhttp://www.hrmarketer.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3574186837508212099.post-61994420669501992132010-02-17T19:50:56.285-05:002010-02-17T19:50:56.285-05:00Ohhh Stacey... very smooth, big guy... perfect! Ni...Ohhh Stacey... very smooth, big guy... perfect! Nice work!Brian Kellynoreply@blogger.com