Remember me taking about information hoarders? Recently in a discussion, an employee claimed to be proud of sharing his knowledge with everyone. He has won good recognition for helping his peers out when needed and teaching juniors. However, when time can to move to another role, his replacement was lost. Not lost because of a loosely planned transition plan, but lost because the employee had decided to hold some things back during the transition.
Transitions are typically a difficult stage for those stepping into a new role. It is important to remember that it is equally difficult for someone who is stepping into your shoes. In my interaction with people who have been transitioning, one common complaint I’ve come across has been – ‘But I wasn’t told about this!’
Let your past role go! I know that we may have developed a certain attachment with the role we’ve been playing, but it’s important that you tell the next person everything you know about your job. He may be better than you because of all the hard gained knowledge that you just passed on to him; and he is going to be eternally grateful to you because of that. Without you, he won’t be doing as well as he is. If you cared about your project and department, you would not want to set them a year or two back either.
In short – tell them everything you know!
You may feel that holding back a few bits of information will help you; believe me, it will not.
The HR Business Partner Story 