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7 steps to stop being held hostage by ‘indispensable’ employees

Guest post by: Lisa Murray

Article Overview: Most employees are willing to share information, knowledge and expertise. However there are the small minority who stick very closely to the ‘information is power’ adage and subtly or obviously refuse to share information throughout the organization. Often these people have come from corporate environments where this type of behavior was accepted and even encouraged.

7 steps to stop being held hostage by ‘indispensable’ employees

Most employees are willing to share information, knowledge and expertise. However there are the small minority who stick very closely to the ‘information is power’ adage and subtly or obviously refuse to share information throughout the organization. Often these people have come from corporate environments where this type of behavior was accepted and even encouraged.

The recent global financial crisis has seen an increase in advice to employees to ‘make yourself indispensable’. A useful strategy for the employee maybe, but not ideal for a smart small business!

The ‘indispensables’ can engage in behaviour as simple as putting passwords on particular information unnecessarily and never writing down critical information, or as extreme as being downright uncooperative and stealing your client and supplier data.

Of course, these risks also become concerning if a team member is head hunted, run over by the proverbial bus or becomes ill. If you outsource activities such as IT or administration, remember to apply these ideas to your external team as well.

The best plan is to set up your systems and procedures so that the expectations are clear and then reinforcing cooperation through active leadership. Here’s 7 ways you can protect your business:

1. Cross-train team members (great for having holiday backup as well).
2. Have multiple points of contact with clients (so salespeople or service providers are not the only relationship builders).
3. Know which data is critical to your business and how to access it – have detailed operational manuals and confidential log-in/password lists done for core activities carried out by each team member.
4. If you are not sure where you are ‘held hostage’ watch what happens when staff go on holiday – what tasks and relationships fall through the cracks? Debrief your team after each person goes on holidays and create written procedures and processes for anything that didn’t work.
5. Put ‘difficult’ or core employees in a position of leadership where it is their responsibility to teach others the required information – ensure this role is on their position description and regular conversations are held about it.
6. Use CRM systems and other databases to ensure that all appropriate information is captured and used appropriately within the organization. Monitor exporting of data from these systems and ensure that sales results are measured through these systems so that all data must be entered rather than kept private.
7. Gain a clear understanding of what makes your top performers outstanding at what they do – capture the expertise, skills and knowledge so that a) you know what you are looking for if that person leaves and b) you can train others to replicate that success.

Ever had this challenge? What did you do?

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Article Tags: information is power, small business, small minority



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