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Interview Patty

Your Best Employee Is Your Weakest Link

Patty Block

The entrepreneur at a small business with only one or two employees typically has done most of the employees'

tasks at some time and could still muddle through them, if necessary. But think of the cost of having what should be your most highly skilled (and compensated) person (that would be you) doing mundane but vital tasks. As you grow there will be tasks that you’ve hired someone to do just so you don’t ever have to know how to do them. That’s great, but make documentation and training part of the job description.

If you have employees who are highly specialized, documentation is even more essential because it’s unlikely that their knowledge and skills are duplicated in the organization. Who hasn’t heard the horror stories of the tech start up whose engineer quit and left only sloppy records of their work on the project?

If you have one trusted “right hand” person who is the only one who knows everything from the password to your online banking to where the bodies are buried, your weakest link is also enough rope for you to hang yourself with if that one trusted right hand turns out not to be trustworthy.

Regardless of the type of business you’re in, how large or how small, a Key Person Audit is a smart item to add to your 2016 planning agenda. Identify the weak links and create a plan for documentation, cross-training where appropriate, and even a hiring strategy if you should need to replace a key person in your organization.

I hope you never lose an employee to tragedy, or to a betrayal of trust, but life has a way of throwing us curve balls. The old parental standby is a good admonition for entrepreneurs as well. “Better safe than sorry” is a wise approach to evaluating and guarding against the day when your go-to person isn’t there to go to.

Source: Entrepreneur

Patty Block, President and Founder of The Block Group, established her company to advocate for women-owned businesses, helping them position their companies for strategic growth. Charting the course for impactful, sustainable, profitable businesses, the beacon is control: of your strategic direction, your money, your time, your staffing, and your ability to bring in business. The Block Group brings together the people, resources and ideas that build results.

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Patty Block.

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