Far too often managers will rely heavily on one person who has the vast technical and process knowledge that no one else has. When you have this one person your job soon becomes to keep them happy because your company and your success depend on them. This person is a skyscraper of talent.
They can easily come in and save the day or they know the in’s and out’s of your systems and processes. It is easy to think they enjoy being the center of attention and that they are proud to be in that position. Early on when this happens they will feel a certain level of job security but eventually that gives way to feeling like a prison they cannot escape from. They can’t take time off and when they do they spend it working or their work piles up while they are gone. If they want to pursue new challenges they will be persuaded not to under the guise of “you are needed here” because their current assignments would fall apart without them. You will lose sleep at night wondering when a competitor will try to steal them away.
The best managers build many skyscrapers of talent. To do this you have to get the information out of the heads of the individuals by documenting, cross-training and effective succession planning. Allow for the transfer of knowledge between team members by breaking down the silos that have been built. Implement a mentoring program where people are paired for periods of time so that no one person understands the process or nuances of a particular task or client.
Building many skyscrapers of talent helps your team focus on doing good work not because they are the only one who can do it but because it is what is expected. It helps relieve the pressure of carrying the team to success because many people will be equipped to do so. Building many skyscrapers of talent gives everyone the opportunity to shine, grow and advance.
Stop fooling yourself into thinking that someone enjoys being the only one with the intimate knowledge of your company or a task. Give them freedom from their skyscraper by building many. Free yourself from being too dependent upon one person. Building a team full of skyscrapers of talent will be your strongest competitive advantage.
Last updated on March 4th, 2018 at 07:12 pm
