“You are the manager, so, why don’t you know if there is anyone on the line that has the potential to step up to a supervisory role?” I repeated.
“Well, I let the supervisor handle that. He knows his team,” Denny explained.
“But, if the supervisor disappears, and you have to hire a new supervisor, how are you going to make that decision?”
“What do you mean, if the supervisor disappears?” Denny pushed back.
“Nothing is forever,” I replied. “All managerial relationships are terminal. The best person on your supervisor team is likely to get promoted. One of them might quit and go work for a competitor. One of them might go fly-fishing in Montana and call in well.”
“Okay, okay. If one of my supervisors quits, I am the hiring manager. What’s your point?” Denny challenged.
“If you don’t have a relationship with any of the production team, how will you know if any of them could step up and be effective in the role of supervisor?”