When the person who knows is away

What we found in the news

BoardSource’s guidance on board-officer succession (opens in a new tab), updated in July 2023, encourages organizations to prepare people for additional responsibilities. It offers this practical advice:

“Help willing candidates learn and obtain the tools they need to take on added duties.”

— BoardSource, July 24, 2023

The guidance is about nonprofit board leadership. We are drawing a related operational question from it: how does an organization make sure important work can continue when the person most familiar with it is away?

This is a reflection on preparation and shared knowledge, rather than employment or governance advice for a particular organization.

Why this matters to us

Consider a program manager who usually knows how to resolve an unusual booking question. Colleagues trust their judgment. Partners know whom to call. The arrangement works well until that manager takes a fortnight’s leave.

A thick handover folder may describe the routine tasks. It may say much less about the decisions that arrive between those tasks.

At genus, we value the knowledge people build through careful work and relationships. We also think organizations should give colleagues a fair opportunity to carry responsibilities with confidence. That takes more than forwarding a mailbox on the last afternoon.

Find the decisions hidden in familiar work

Ask the experienced colleague to walk through a recent week. Where did someone ask for their judgment? Which exceptions did they resolve? Which partner conversations required knowledge that was not written down?

Choose a manageable set of responsibilities to prepare for. Explain the usual decision, the information needed, and the boundary beyond which another person should be involved.

Keep the account practical. A new colleague may benefit more from two worked examples and a named contact than from a long description of every possible situation.

Avoid recording private impressions about participants or colleagues as informal institutional knowledge. Use approved records and describe the relevant service arrangements respectfully.

Pair knowledge with authority

Someone covering a responsibility needs to know what they can decide. If every ordinary choice still requires the absent manager’s approval, the work has not really been handed over.

Agree the scope of cover, access permissions, and the route for questions beyond that scope. Check that the person accepting the work has time to do it. Discuss what should pause or move elsewhere while they take it on.

Invite them to identify areas where they need practice or support. Familiarity with one part of a service does not automatically prepare someone for every related responsibility.

The conversation should leave both people with a clear understanding of the arrangement, including when it ends and how unresolved matters will be returned.

Practice while support is available

Before the absence begins, let the covering colleague handle an appropriate example with support nearby. Ask them to find the relevant information and explain the decision they would make.

That small rehearsal can reveal missing access, unclear instructions, or a contact who has changed roles. Correct those gaps while there is time.

When the usual colleague returns, make space to review what happened. Which arrangements were straightforward? Where did someone need help? What should become part of the normal way the organization shares knowledge?

Use the experience to improve continuity across the team. It should not become a test of whether one person can imitate another’s working style.

What this means for the people you serve

A participant should not need to understand an internal staffing change to get a useful answer. Explain who their contact will be and how agreed arrangements will continue. Invite questions where a familiar relationship matters to them. The replacement colleague also deserves an introduction that recognizes their own role and capability.

The genus connection

Today, configured genus staff workspaces can provide shared operational records, resources, and training content within the permissions an organization sets.

Those tools can help colleagues locate agreed information. They cannot confer authority, replace experience, or guarantee a successful handover. Leaders still need to agree responsibilities, prepare people, and check that access fits the work they have been asked to do.

One question for your next team meeting

Which ordinary decision currently depends on one person, and what would help a colleague make it responsibly?