When Being A Linchpin Backfires
What to do when you encounter unintended consequences.
The air is heavy today — the salt air is carried to my porch on a light breeze. It’s early and it has all the promise of a smothering day.
That’s the same word that came to mind talking with a friend Erin the other night. She was feeling smothered — pigeonholed — being the linchpin had backfired on her.
Erin made herself so valuable in what she does that she’s not even considered for something else. She doesn’t hoard her knowledge — she freely shares it and in fact, has trained other people who have then moved on to other things.
The thing is, Erin’s really, really good at what she does. She’s way better than anyone else. There is nothing that challenges her about it anymore except for her own occasional internal challenge to see if she can finish the endless amount of work by the end of the day.
So what to do when being the linchpin locks you in?
Normally the first step would be to have a conversation and let them know specifically how you want to move forward and also suggest who could take over some of your current responsibilities. For Erin, they’ve made it clear that she’s too valuable right where she is. The salt in her wound is that she hasn’t been so valuable that they have given her that extra week of vacation that she so desperately wanted.
Now she could do all sorts of work on reframing it, maybe start a side hustle since she can do this all in her sleep. She doesn’t want to.
Instead, Erin’s decision is to leave. She’s already applied to a couple of places and they jumped at interviewing her. Of course they did.
She doesn’t need advice on negotiating — she knows exactly what she wants and she knows how to ask for it. She will be interviewing them. Erin has no qualms about getting just what she is looking for.
Look I get it , I’ve read Seth Godin’s Linchpin and love the whole pouring yourself into you projects approach. It’s exciting, it’s initially purposeful, and it’s wonderful until you realize that your pouring so much into someone else’s dream that you have outgrown. AND they don’t see it that way.
The linchpin reward doesn’t always happen.
As an employee you then have the opportunity to ask yourself that old The Clash question — “Should I Stay or Should I go?” Yes, it really is that easy if you have reached the point that Erin is at. Just like the song:
“If I go, there will be trouble
And if I stay it will be double.”
Only you make your own decisions — they’ve already let you know they are holding you back because you’re too valuable just where you are.
And Employers — what gives? If Erin’s as valuable as you say why won’t you give her that extra vacation week? That doesn’t feel like you are valuing her contribution. That totally feels like you want her to feel trapped. That’s the story that she has decided on.
Only — she is writing the ending.
I’m not worried about Erin.
If you are in senior leadership or an owner — you are the folks I am a bit concerned about. Yes, people move on. Even linchpins. But if it’s a shock and you are left stunned with some serious issues in your business then it’s time to really evaluate your most important asset.
If that key person or several of your key people leave what’s the chain reaction? What message does that send to your customers and your other employees? What’s that going to do to the level of innovation in your company?
What’s that? You’re too busy to be thinking about this right now? That’s ok. That’s just fine, because the Erin’s in your company are thinking and more than that — they are taking action. Not only that while they most likely are not going to bad mouth you or the company it will be obvious why they leave.
I hope you have a plan before your innovations stalls and your IP and tribal knowledge walk out the door. I really do.
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Lisa Guida, at Why Leap Alliance, consults with companies that want to keep their key employees innovating and linchpins loving their work.
If you are that linchpin that’s ready to go but wants to sort through your options, create a clear action plan and get out of Dodge then I want to talk with you too.
This story is published in The Startup, Medium’s largest entrepreneurship publication followed by 340,876+ people.
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