Leadership Isn't Personal · Chapter 8
The One-Person
Dependency Test
You already know the names. The coordinator who's the only one who actually understands the roadmap. The specialist who's the only one who knows the quirks of the system. The manager who's the only one the off-hours team will talk to. This is how you measure the cost of that — in a number you can take to your VP.
Why this matters. High performers hide broken systems. When one person holds a function together through talent, relationships, or tenure, the organization looks stable — right up until they take vacation, quit, get poached, or retire. System debt accumulates in silence. This test quantifies it so you can show it, not just feel it.
The Scorecard
Seven functions. One person each. Score the dependency.
List seven core functions your team performs — suggestions below, but write in your own if they fit better. For each, name the one person who is actually the backstop when things go wrong, not the person on the org chart. Then score: 1 = anyone can cover; 3 = one backup exists but is rusty; 5 = if this person is out, this function fails. Total at the bottom.
#
Function
Actual backstop
Dependency (1–5)
1
Suggested: Planning & schedule management
12345
2
Suggested: Vendor coordination & contingency planning
12345
3
Suggested: Postmortem & incident close-out
12345
4
Suggested: Cross-department escalation
12345
5
Suggested: Tribal knowledge for a critical workflow or system
12345
6
Suggested: After-hours or weekend coverage decisions
12345
7
Suggested: Budget variance explanation to leadership
12345
Total dependency score
___ / 35
7–14
Resilient
Your team runs on architecture. Protect it.
15–24
Load-bearing people
Pick the two highest-scored rows. Those are your first system debt payments.
25–35
Single points of failure
This is an exec conversation, not a personnel problem. Your organization is held together by a small number of people working unsustainably.
