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Beware of GeorgeA while back, I remarked on the problems with George, the Genius, who exists at every small company who can't afford a big technical support staff. There's almost always one person (who we'll call George) who pretty much "owns" the information technology in the company. The president considers him to be on a par with Bill Gates or that Steve Jobs feller, and would be paralyzed without him. Therein lies the problem. This individual runs the network, has memorized all the configurations, and is the only one who knows the passwords. In some cases, he may have written the software that the company uses to actually manage the business. He may have programmed the production machines, or he may have customized the client database to give the sales department (usually one guy named Ned) exactly what he's looking for. And of course, there's Doris in accounting, who had George write some macros for her that are critical to her getting the payroll out every Friday. The usual pattern is that George joins the company in some engineering capacity, gets involved with the computer systems because he can spell TCP/IP, recommends and implements the network, takes a class on programming and starts doing more advanced stuff. In the same few years, the company has grown from a small office to a thriving regional concern. But George is still in charge because he has grown along with the company. But now, with a large organization to worry about, the president is starting to get a little nervous. George knows everything about the company's systems. He designed them, he wrote the applications and the macros, and he knows the passwords. As the old saying goes, "If George got run over by a bus, we'd be in serious trouble." Of course, the other concern is that Intercontinental Staple Removers, across the street, will hire him away for twice what you're paying him. You see, George feels very territorial about his systems. He gets very nervous when the president starts talking about that evil word - "documentation." And heaven forbid that the president ask George for all of the passwords! George either doesn't want anyone messing with his computers, or he's worried that the president will fire him. Either way, he's unhappy. The point of this article is not to help the companies that are in this position. I'm not sure there's much that can be done, without causing a mess or spending a lot of money. Short of injecting George with truth serum, having Mark Fuhrman interrogate him, or giving him a raise and an assistant, I'm not sure there's an easy way out of this situation. No, my desire is to warn those companies that are still in that early stage of their growth, when George is just getting started, and hasn't managed to consolidate his power. You've got lots of things to worry about, like building your business and making money. You really don't want me to pile on another problem. But if you want to avoid finding yourself in the situation that I've just described, read on. First of all, as soon as possible, spread the technical support work between two individuals in your organization. Obviously, George will be one of them. And because of his dynamic personality and natural leadership skills, he will probably be the team leader. But if there's another person on the team, she and George can't help but share the expert knowledge about your systems. This spreads the risk around a little bit. Now all you have to worry about is that bus when they're both walking across the street to Burger King. From the beginning, demand documentation. Demand that passwords be on file in the president's desk, that configurations be printed and stored, and that programs and macros be properly documented. Build a habit of sitting down with George every few months and talking about that scary bus, and how you want to make sure the company is protected. If you start early in your relationship, he'll understand that you're not trying to pick his brain and then fire him. Make it clear that you value him so much that you want to make sure that, if he was hurt or sick, the company could somehow scratch by until he returned. These conversations also reinforce the concept that the computers and network don't belong to George, they belong to the company. Eliminate that territoriality early. Another approach, which is more expensive, is simply to outsource your systems management. I've worked with several smaller organizations who have contracted with a networking VAR or consulting firm. Generally a couple of consultants work with the company. Since they need to document their work for each other, you avoid concentrating the expertise in one person. Plus, when they move on, finding a replacement is the consulting firm's problem. Finally, as your technology needs grow, the contractor is likely to already have the experience to implement the required solution. Don't assume George is a genius and brag about him to anyone who will listen. He may know how to program, and he may be able to keep your PC from rebooting every 15 minutes. But believe it or not, there are about 50 other people within a couple of miles of your office who can do the same thing. If you insist on demeaning yourself, and overdoing the just approbation that George deserves, he'll just start believing that you won't possibly understand how this technology works, so why should he bother to share his knowledge with you. Inform yourself. Ask questions. Take control of your information technology. If you're already in a situation where you're relying on George too much, and you're a little worried, it's too late to do much that won't cause major expense, or some wailing and gnashing of teeth. But if you start early, maybe you can not only grow yourself a very professional MIS department, but you can also have the technology that anticipates your company's needs. My apologies to all the Georges out there. However, I do have one piece of advice for you...please watch out when you cross the street.
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