Information is everywhere now. Whatever you know, whatever system you’ve mastered, whatever trick you think is “yours” – it’s a few prompts away for anyone who cares enough to look.
That’s why hoarding information has quietly become one of the worst leadership moves you can make.
For years, a lot of managers built their leverage on being the only one who knew how a system worked. The only one who could run that report. The only one who understood that vendor, that spreadsheet, that piece of software. It felt safe:
“They can’t fire me; I’m the only one who knows this.”
Except that safety comes with a ceiling.
You don’t get promoted when the story in the back room is, “We can’t lose them, they’re the only one who knows that system.” You get protected, not advanced. You become too valuable where you are and too risky to move. The thing you thought was leverage becomes a cage.
Meanwhile, the world has changed. I tested this with my dad, who spent 35 years as an airline mechanic. Even years ago, AI could already get moderately close on technical aviation questions. Not perfect. Not ready to sign off maintenance releases. But close enough to prove the point: specialized knowledge is on a clock.
The real gap now isn’t access to information. It’s the ability to turn information into habits, standards, and culture on the floor.
That’s where leadership actually matters.
Your value isn’t that you “know the system.” Your value is that you can:
- Teach the system.
- Show it live, in real conditions.
- Coach people through it when they’re tired, overwhelmed, or insecure.
- Hold the standard when it would be easier to look away.
AI can write the perfect workout plan or meal plan. It still can’t get you out of bed at 5 a.m. and into your shoes. Same thing at work. Tools can hand your team the playbook. You’re the one who turns that playbook into how things actually happen, every shift.
So if you’re using AI or any tool to quietly make your job easier so you can coast, you’re not clever. You’re training the system to replace you.
If you find an efficiency, share it. Teach five people. Raise the standard. Become the leader who multiplies capability instead of guarding it.
In a world where information is cheap, the real “secret sauce” is simple: don’t be the only one who knows. Be the one who makes everyone better.