Keeping Cards Close to the Chest

A few years ago, a young executive named Anish came to me seeking career guidance. A few minutes into our conversation, he revealed something surprising about his experience at work.

Anish joined the unit in 2013 as a Graduate Engineer Trainee (GET). After his confirmation, he worked in the Maintenance Function. Initially, he was assigned to a general shift, but for the past six years, he had been working in shifts. He had no complaints about this situation, as he believed that managing a shift and dealing with unionized workers enhanced his confidence and tested his leadership skills. However, he faced a different problem.

He observed, “While running day-to-day activities on the shop floor, I occasionally encounter issues related to machine breakdowns. I try to resolve these on my own, but there are times when I need to seek my Department Head's (DH) help. He never says ‘no’ and is always willing to assist.”

“Oh, that is really nice of him. You’re lucky to have a manager like that, Anish,” I replied.

He smiled and said, “This is where the catch is. All that glitters is not gold. The DH is clever. He intentionally resolves these problems when I’m not around. He often assigns me an ‘important’ task and sends me away, only to fix the issue himself while I'm gone. Can you understand my frustration now?”

I was taken aback by his comments. Anish continued, “A few days ago, I overheard a conversation between the DH and an experienced worker who has been here for nearly 25 years. The DH advised him, ‘When young employees come to you for help with operations or maintenance issues, resolve them on your own and don’t share the methods with them. If you share your knowledge, you lose your importance. Do you understand?’ The Department Head keeps his cards close to his chest.”

I knew the DH well and held him in high esteem as a subject matter expert (SME). Anish's comments shocked me, but they helped me connect the dots about the DH's behavior.

A few days earlier, during lunch, the DH had complained to me about working under immense pressure and lamented the lack of initiative among younger employees to learn and advance their careers.

Ultimately, karma caught up with him. One year before his retirement, he was removed from his position and assigned an advisory role. A new DH was brought in from outside, as there had been no one groomed by the previous DH to take over his responsibilities.