I had a conversation with a business owner recently that has stuck with me.
She has an employee who is incredibly dependable. He works hard, knows how everything gets done, and would leave a big hole if he left.

He also resists almost every attempt to change how things are done.
New process? Pushback.
New technology? Pushback.
AI? Definitely pushback.

This owner is wondering: Do I stop trying to change the organization and simply focus on what I’m good at—finding opportunities, selling, cross-selling, and growing revenue?
Good question, and she’s tired of trying to drag her employees, especially this guy, toward seeing the light.

But I keep coming back to another question.
What if the person you can’t afford to lose is also one of the reasons you can’t change?

We usually measure an employee’s value by asking:
“What would happen if this person left?”
Maybe we should also ask:
“What isn’t happening because this person is here?”
What technology wasn’t adopted?
What process didn’t improve?
What initiative quietly died?
What has the owner simply stopped trying to change?

Every company needs dependable people who execute well. Not everyone needs to be a strategic thinker.
But can a company really grow if the owner is the only person who wants to think differently about how the business could work?

I don’t think so.
What are your thoughts?

Kate Dunn is the President of Evolve Sales Group