Vacation Season Reveals Your Bench Strength
- Ralph Cochrane
- Jul 27
- 1 min read
If the work stalls when one person is away, that’s a signal.
Vacation season is in full swing. Someone is at the cottage. Someone is travelling with their family. Someone is taking a much-needed break. And someone else is trying to keep the work moving while half the usual people are away.
That’s not a problem. That’s normal. But it does reveal something important. How strong is your bench?
In mining, engineering, construction, manufacturing, and energy, too much knowledge often sits with one or two key people. They know the process. They know the history. They know who to call, what to watch for, and how to get things done. That experience is valuable. But if everything depends on them being available, the team is vulnerable.
Vacation season can expose weak handoffs, unclear roles, poor documentation, and overreliance on individual heroes. It can also show where cross-training, delegation, and better communication are needed.
Strong leaders don’t wait for a crisis to build capacity. They ask: Who else needs to know this? Where are we exposed? What would happen if this person were away for two weeks? How do we make the team stronger, not just busier? A good vacation plan isn’t just about coverage. It’s about resilience.
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