SOPs: You’re Hoarding Knowledge and the Why
Let’s get one thing straight. This is not a how-to guide on building SOPs. This is about why the system itself is necessary. Because one person or one group of people cannot be the system. If they are, there is nothing left behind.
In every organization there is a “Ginger.” You know the one. The go-to. The person everybody says, “Oh wow, you’ve got to ask Ginger. She knows how to do it.” And Ginger probably does know how to do the damn job better than anyone else.
But Ginger is not giving up that knowledge. Why?
Because she ties her value to what she knows and what nobody else knows. If everyone has to come to her, she feels indispensable. She thinks her knowledge of systems, whether it is software or daily workflows, gives her a stake in the company. Like she is almost an investor.
But here is the truth. That is false hope.
Life Will Life
It does not matter how much you know. Life will life.
Two scenarios.
Life happens to Ginger. Hospital stays. A sick child. Suddenly she is gone.
Life happens after Ginger. She leaves, and her team is stuck.
Both situations prove the same point. Tying control to knowledge is fragile. The hard fact is this. You control less than you think. What you really have is influence, not control.
And hoarding knowledge to control an outcome? That is manipulation.
Knowledge hoarding is a form of manipulation because it withholds information to control results. It does not matter if the motive is job security or a steady paycheck. Manipulation is manipulation.
And if you are hoarding knowledge right now, ask yourself this. What happens to your team if tomorrow you are not there? Can they function, or will they drown? Because that answer says more about your leadership than your loyalty.
Sweetie Honey Baby Pie, That’s Delusion
I know what some of you are thinking. “It is not my job. I do not get paid to write SOPs.” And you are right, technically. But let’s be real. The problem is not when HR forgets to document. The problem is when the new hire comes in, and you are the one training them.
And you decide, “I do not need them knowing everything, because if they know everything, they will take my job.”
Sweetie honey baby pie. That is the delusion. That is the manipulation. You are not protecting yourself. You are sabotaging them. And you are setting yourself up to burn out, because now you are the only one who knows how to keep the machine running.
Fear is the Root
Let’s call it what it is. Fear.
Fear of being replaced. Fear of being irrelevant. Fear that if people know what you know, you will not matter anymore.
But ask yourself this. If your only value is what you keep locked up, is that really value? Or is it insecurity dressed up as power?
Legacy vs Delusion
Life will go on without you. People will say, “Wow, we wish Ginger was here.” But the work will keep moving. As the song says, "One monkey don't stop no show. This train gone keep on rollin".
The difference is in what you leave behind.
If you hoarded knowledge, your legacy is short-lived. “They knew everything but left us with nothing.”
If you built systems, your legacy is durable. Planks get replaced, but the iron rails stay strong.
Which reputation do you want? The one people whisper about, “she knew everything, but left us stranded.” Or the one people thank because you gave them tracks to run on? That choice is yours, and you are making it every single day.
Fairness for the People Left Behind
Think about the folks who have to step in after you. Is it fair to them to walk into chaos because you did not want to share?
And do not hide behind excuses like, “Nobody gave me anything, so why should I give it to them.” That is not strength. That is scarcity. If you had to claw your way through, why would you want the next person to bleed the same way?
Crabs in a barrel thinking says more about you than about the company.
And let’s not confuse boundaries with hoarding. You do not have to give away free labor or consult for nothing. But if you can leave behind a system within your scope of influence, that is not just generosity. That is integrity.
Organizations, You Are Not Off the Hook
Companies also feed this problem when they rely on heroes instead of systems. Do not celebrate the one person who knows everything. Celebrate the people who build processes that outlast them. If SOPs are not expected, rewarded, or baked into culture, do not be surprised when knowledge stays trapped in people’s heads.
The Real Question
Is hoarding knowledge going to make your legacy stronger?
Or will you be the person who gave, who built, who left things better than you found them?
Because one of those paths ends with exhaustion and vanity. The other ends with legacy.
So, prove it. Write it down. Share it. Build the system. Stop being Ginger. Start being the legacy.
