We are trying to build redundancy into our Accountability Chart to prepare for a clean exit, but our department heads are hoarding information and resisting cross-training. How do we solve this structurally?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Information hoarding is a defense mechanism that destroys company value and stalls your exit. Buyers want to see a business where processes are documented and any seat can be temporarily filled without disruption.

To solve this, you must change the incentives and roles on your Accountability Chart. If your department heads are measured solely on their individual performance, they have no reason to share knowledge.

Start by updating the five key roles for every leadership seat on your chart. Add a specific role focused on systemization and redundancy. For example, a key role for your Head of Operations should be documenting core processes and cross-training a successor.

Next, use Keith Cunningham's Thinking Time to address this resistance. Ask: How might we structure our quarterly Rocks so that our department heads are required to collaborate on building organizational redundancy?

Set a company-wide Rock for the upcoming quarter to document the top twenty percent of your core processes. Link their performance evaluations to the completion of this Rock.

Additionally, build trust by addressing their underlying fears. Use the Trusted Advisor framework to have open conversations about why they are hoarding information. Assure them that systemization does not make them obsolete; rather, it elevates their value and prepares the company for a highly profitable exit.