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​​ Cliff
notes

What happens when leadership is locked away?

6/1/2025

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There was a rhythm in our unit. We trained. We evaluated. We moved. We operated like a well-oiled machine; until the day that rhythm was broken.  

Not by war. Not by crisis.  

By a locked file cabinet.  

I needed a personnel file for a routine performance evaluation. Simple enough. So I asked the admin specialist to grab it.  

Her response?  

"It’s locked 🔐. The lead admin has the key, and she’s on vacation."

I paused. Squinted.  

Surely someone else had a spare? The Director of Operations, maybe?  

Nope.  

That’s when I said it, loud enough for everyone to hear:  

"What if she got hit by a bus?"

I wasn’t being cruel. I wasn’t hoping for tragedy. But I needed everyone in that room to confront the reality of the situation:  

Why does an entire process grind to a halt just because one person is gone?

Leadership isn’t just about overseeing people; it’s about building resilient systems. If the system fails when a key player is out, then the system itself is broken.  

And soon, we’d learn that lesson in a way none of us saw coming. But that’s a story for another day.  

​
Redundancy is not optional…it’s LEADERSHIP!

When critical processes hinge on one person, the entire organization is vulnerable. Leaders must build systems, not silos.

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    Author

    Cliff Kinchen is a lifelong martial artist and seasoned leadership trainer who blends combat discipline with real-world leadership insight. With decades of experience—from Air Force instruction to corporate boardrooms—he helps others grow through confidence, character, and challenge. His writing sparks reflection, inspires action, and invites readers to lead from the inside out

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