Could your business cope without them?
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Most, if not all, businesses have a one. The person who seems to know everything, the one who has been with the business for years, knows the customers by name, can solve problems in minutes and somehow remembers the things nobody else does. If someone has a question, they are usually the first person everyone turns to.
It’s not a bad thing. Having people like that is a real asset. Every business wants dependable, knowledgeable employees, and there is nothing wrong with having experts in your team. In fact, they are often one of your greatest strengths. The challenge comes when that knowledge stays with just one person, because if nobody else understands what they do, that strength can quickly become a weakness.
It is worth asking how the business would cope if that person took two weeks off tomorrow. Not if they left the business, just if they took a well-earned holiday. If that thought makes you pause for a moment, you are certainly not alone.
It is something we come across regularly. As businesses grow, knowledge often grows with individuals rather than with the business itself. It rarely happens by design, and it is usually a sign that you have good people who are trusted to get things done. But over time, it can leave the business relying too heavily on one person for things that others could learn, share or support with.
Think about your own business for a moment. Who knows how to run payroll? Who remembers exactly how a long-standing customer likes things done? Who understands that spreadsheet everyone relies on, or knows how to fix the system when something goes wrong? These might feel like small details day to day, but when that knowledge only sits with one person, it can quickly become difficult to manage if they are away, busy or simply unavailable.
It is easy to see how this happens. When someone is reliable, managers naturally turn to them. They become the safe pair of hands, the person who answers the questions, solves the problems and steps in whenever something unexpected crops up. While that can be a compliment, it can also create pressure for the employee as well as the business.
It is not unusual to hear someone say, “I’ll just keep an eye on my emails while I’m away,” or “Give me a call if you get stuck.” While that usually comes from a good place, it can be a sign that they have become the person everyone depends on. Annual leave should not feel stressful, and nobody should feel guilty for taking time off because they are worried about what might happen in their absence.
The good news is that building resilience does not have to mean a major restructure or months of planning. Often, it is the smaller changes that have the biggest impact. Encouraging people to document key processes as they go, giving colleagues the chance to shadow one another and rotating responsibilities from time to time can all help more than one person understand how things work.
If someone has particular expertise, creating opportunities for them to share it with the wider team can be incredibly valuable. One of the best ways to recognise a great employee is not always through a pay rise or a new job title. Sometimes it is by giving them the chance to pass on what they know. Coaching a colleague, sharing their experience or helping someone develop new skills can be rewarding for them, while making the whole team stronger at the same time.
The businesses that cope best with change are not necessarily the biggest or the most established. They are the ones where people support each other, knowledge is shared and no one person feels they are carrying the weight of the business alone. Every business hopes to have employees who are experienced, dependable and trusted by their colleagues. That is never the problem.
The opportunity is making sure that knowledge is shared, confidence is built across the team and no one person feels they have to carry everything themselves. Because when that happens, everyone benefits. Employees feel supported, managers have greater confidence and the business is in a much stronger position for whatever comes next.
