Your Best Employee Might Be Hiding a Real Problem.

Your best employee might be the one who is hiding a real problem within your organization.

Does that mean this person is a liability? Are they just overly ambitious and trying to impress you? Are they putting up a facade and really aren't that good?

No to all three.

In fact, that employee may be the person who is able to consistently create successful outcomes from a crappy process.

They have figured out how to bypass the things that don't work. They know which steps aren't really necessary. They know who to call instead of following the process. They understand the goal, can see the vision, and have figured out how to work around the constraints that would slow someone else down.

And because they continue to produce results, nobody really questions the process.

Why would they?

The work is getting done.

But what happens when that person eventually leaves?

Because attrition is real, no matter what organization you're in. People retire. They get promoted. They take another job. They move. Sometimes your best people simply find a better opportunity.

Now put someone else in that position.

The process didn't suddenly become broken when your best employee left. It was already broken. Your best employee was just good enough to overcome it.

That's the part leaders can miss.

High performers are great assets. They solve problems, produce results, and find ways to accomplish the mission when others might struggle. But their ability to overcome organizational friction can also inadvertently hide that friction from leadership.

So don't punish the employee for finding a better way. Learn from them.

Ask them what they are doing differently.

What are they bypassing? What takes too long? Who do they actually call when they need something? What part of the process looks good on paper but doesn't work in reality?

And most importantly:

Could someone else step into their position tomorrow and achieve similar results using the process you've given them?

If the answer is no, you may not have a great process.

You may just have a great employee.

DATUM Advisory Group
Helping leaders see what is actually happening inside their organizations.