What Would Your Team Do If You Weren't There?

Raise your hand if you've ever gone on vacation but couldn't resist checking your email because your team might need you.

Or if there was a virtual meeting while you were away and people showed up at two different times because you were the one who sent the calendar invitation – and when no one else could change it, they just created a second meeting instead.

Or the press release didn't go out because no one knew who else could sign off on it.

Or the social media account sat dormant because the only person with the login left the organization six months ago.

They're small things. Until they're not.

Because underneath each of those situations are the same questions: What would your team do if you weren't there? Who would make decisions? Who would have access to key systems? Who knows where important files are stored? Who has the relationships, the institutional knowledge or even just the confidence to handle the question that would normally land on your desk?

If you don't know the answer, that's a problem.

Not because you're doing something wrong. In fact, it's often the opposite. Good leaders want to help. We answer questions. Solve problems. Keep things moving.

Over time, though, organizations can accidentally build themselves around a handful of people who know just a little too much or carry just a little too much responsibility.

The result? Nobody feels comfortable making a decision without them. They can’t find the information they need. And they’re afraid of being the one who gets it wrong.

The good news is that fixing it doesn't have to start with a massive reorganization.

Start by finding the bottlenecks

Pay attention to the questions that always come to you. The approvals that can only happen because you're available. The passwords that live on one phone. The files stored in one person's email.

Then stress test them. The next time someone asks for an answer, pause before giving one.

What would they do if you weren't there? Could they find the information? Could they make the decision? Would they know who else to ask?

And maybe the more important question: Would they feel comfortable doing it?

Because resilience isn't just about cross-training and shared drives – it's about culture.

Do people know you'll support them if they make the best decision they can with the information they have? Or have they learned that it's safer to wait until you get back from vacation?

Confidence doesn't magically appear during an emergency. Teams build it by having opportunities to make decisions and solve problems before they have to.

From there, start building redundancy

You don't have to fix everything today, but you do have to fix it.

• Share access to systems.

• Document processes.

• Cross-train where it makes sense.

• Clarify decision-making authority.

• Make sure knowledge belongs to the organization, not just the individual.

The irony is that sometimes leaders worry that making themselves less essential will make them less valuable, when in reality, the opposite is usually true.

When your team doesn't need you for every small decision, you have the time and space to work on bigger ones. You can focus on strategy instead of constantly putting out fires. You can actually take a planned vacation or deal with an unexpected emergency. You can step away knowing the work will continue because you've built a team that's capable and confident.

This isn't just about preparing for unexpected turnover or retirement. It's about preparing for ordinary life.

People get sick and they go to conferences. They accept promotions and they move on to new opportunities. And the organizations that can absorb those absences and transitions without everything grinding to a halt are more resilient, more adaptable and frankly, a lot less stressful to lead.

It doesn't mean everyone has to know how to do every job. It means no one person should be the last piece holding the Jenga tower together.

So here's a question to think about this week:

If you weren't there tomorrow, what would your team do?

The answer might show you where your next process needs strengthening, where your team needs more confidence or where you've been carrying more than you should.

Building a resilient organization isn't just about protecting against the unexpected.

It's about creating a team and a culture where people have what they need and the confidence to use it, so that when one piece gets pulled out, the Jenga tower stays standing.

Because sooner or later, every organization loses a piece of the tower – for a day, for a week or forever. Good leadership is making sure the whole thing doesn't come down with it.