Managing a Problematic Knowledge Worker

In my career as a manager, I have had situations where an employee thought they were indispensable and more valuable than just about anyone else, when in reality that was not the case.

The following is an example that a colleague shared with me. The names used are fictional.

I was talking to one of my managers, in a mentoring session, and they were describing a difficult situation they were in. The situation was that this manager had an employee reporting to them who was a self-proclaimed expert in a certain technology and system. The expert had close to twenty-five years of service with the company, was the only person in the company that understood a specific engineering system that was designed decades ago, and was acting as if they were a god deserving of special treatment.

This person was telling their boss, over a series of discussions, that:

1 – The expert (let’s call them Dave) was feeling more and more stress because of project deadlines.

2 – Dave could not work the standard workday of 8-5 because he got headaches from the stress, so he needed to be on flex time.

3 - The occasional calls Dave was getting from others, needing his assistance, were creating additional stress.

4 - Since there was no backup for Dave that understood the system, it was difficult to enjoy vacation because he knew he could get called at any time.

5 - Dave was not earning nearly enough salary given all these headaches.

6 - Dave was talking openly to others about his serious consideration of quitting or retiring due to all these problems.

7 - Dave needed an office because the cubicle he had was too noisy.

I asked Eric why this was a difficult situation for him. “Well, I just told you why; nobody else reporting to me has all these complaints. It is taking me a lot of time just dealing with Dave. If he quits, nobody will be able to support the system, and engineering will go crazy when they have problems.”

“Well Eric, just listening to you, it sounds as if Dave is holding you hostage and asking for a ransom. Why don’t you train someone else to take Dave’s spot? At least then you would have some flexibility. I wouldn’t tolerate dealing with these kinds of complaints.”

“Well, Dave is telling me that this programming language is outdated and nobody else in the company knows anything about it, and outside contractors cannot be found that know this language. Plus, the system is very complex, and it is not easy to train anyone else in how to support it.”

“So, are you saying that you believe that Dave is the only human being in the world capable of learning this system and learning the programming language?”

“Well, if we could wind the clock back to the beginning, I would have had someone else learn the system also, but I wasn’t in charge then. But what can I do now?”

“Well Eric, what are you thinking of doing about this?”

“I have talked to HR to see about getting Dave a raise just to reduce the risk that he will quit.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me. Someone that is causing you this much trouble deserves a raise? Look Eric, let me tell you what is going on here. Dave obviously has learned that these ‘lines’ that he uses have worked in the past with other bosses, and he is using them on you, also. Trust me, you can train someone else as a backup, and in fact, you need to put this on Dave’s performance plan that his main priority is to train someone else in the system. I would put a very tight deadline on this to get done. If this is the risk that you say it is, you owe it to the company to get a backup trained as soon as possible.”

“But if I put a deadline on the training, that will cause more stress for Dave. I am not sure he can handle any more stress.”

“Eric, on a scale of one to ten, how much stress do you feel?”

“Well, depending on the week, somewhere from six to seven.”

“Right. Let me tell you my stress level—it is usually way above that range. I have so many deadlines and priorities it makes my head spin. I can tell you that most of us are all in the same boat. We all have way more work to do than we can get done. But we do our best. Dave is someone who makes the rest of us work harder and who comes up with more problems than solutions. I have seen people like this before. The reality is that stress is part of the job. I suspect that Dave is dumping on you because you will listen to him, and he is trying to make his job as easy as possible. He wants to be in this position where he has the upper hand. But in reality, he is not holding a strong hand. To me, he has put himself in a poor position. Do not let him push you around. I would suggest you call a meeting with Dave and have a very specific agenda of what you want him to do, to train someone else, get back on normal work hours, and to step up his performance.”

“Okay, but I think this is risky. What if he quits?”

“Well, I will support you whatever happens; let’s see what happens if you change your approach as a manager and ask Dave to do more.”

A month later, I met with Eric again, and he was all smiles. He said that it was amazing what happened once he became determined that he was not going to put up with all the problems that Dave was giving him. Once Dave saw that Eric was going to address the problem of Dave being the only expert, Dave quickly understood that his only job security was going to evaporate, and that he was in trouble. According to Eric, his whole demeanor changed, and he was much more approachable and cooperative than before.

White-collar lesson: As a manager, you are in charge, and you have the authority and responsibility to take actions to solve problems. Most direct reports want clear direction, and they want a manager with a vision and a sense of where they want to go. Managers that manage by asking their employees what their problems are, or what they think he or she should do as a manager, are only sending a signal of weakness. Some will take advantage of that weakness. Set a direction, and be clear about what role each person on the team needs to take, then hold them accountable for results.

Parts of this article were excerpted from my book “Changing Collars: Lessons in Transitioning from Blue-Collar Roots to White-Collar Success”.

(Daniel Muller is a business executive, expert on white-collar culture and soft skills, and author.??To learn more, to contact him, to purchase the book, to read his blog, or to sign-up to his subscriber list, visit his website.)