“Sabina Nawaz offers sensible advice to managers caught in the "sole provider" trap ("Three Ways to Give Employees the Autonomy They Crave," Journal Report, Oct. 19). But this problem isn't exclusive to managers, and it poses risks that go well beyond employee disempowerment.
In more than 20 years of working with manufacturers, we've seen how businesses become dependent on a handful of go-to people, not just managers.
They include experienced operators who can solve any problem, supervisors who can get a struggling shift back on track, production assistants who can sort out the hairiest schedule, and more.
Everyone turns to go-to people because it is expedient, and that bent for speed undermines the total business capability.
Each time employees outsource a decision or solution, they reinforce a habit of reliance that, collectively, makes the organization increasingly dependent on a few individuals.
That creates real risks with predictable consequences: knowledge concentrated among too few people, decision-making bottlenecks, diminished bench strength, and an organization increasingly vulnerable to the absence or departure of a few individuals.
Telling managers to step back won't break the cycle of dependency the entire organization reinforces. Breaking that cycle requires a deliberate effort to develop and distribute capability throughout the business. Otherwise, today's expediency becomes tomorrow's constraint on performance and growth.
Jamie Bryant
Founder and president, MFG.inc
Cincinnati” [1]
1. Helping Can Hold You Back. Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 28 Oct 2026: A16.
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