Thanks for the very insightful post. I’ve seen many organizations that were reliant on an either an individual or a small group of people for thier success. These organizations place themselves at great risk. The star player may get ill, or find a new position elsewhere, leaving a void that is not easily filled. Or stars may simply burn out as they take on more and more tough jobs, in a sense being victimized for their successes.

Three things I always try to do on my team, and encourage others to do:

1. Have a succession plan. Planning for tranistions both makes opportunities for the star performers to promote and develop, and prepares the organization for when the star performers move up (or out).
2. Cross-train team members. Cross-training helps develop individual skills, and mitigates short term risk should key performers be away on travel, due to illness, or even on vacation.
3. Spread the load. Even superstars go nova. Although it is tempting to give your star performer every important project that comes along, resist. Being a superstar should not equate to being a pack mule. And, assigning difficult projects to the “regular” folks on the team may result in the development of more stars.

Again, thanks for the post. It’s very thought provoking.
Chris