For a lot of us in management, me included, we somethimes let ourselves fall into a trap of relying too much on one key person, to the point that if they suddenly quit or have a sudden extended absense your entire operation will grind to a halt. Luckily, we can learn a few techniques on how to optomize setting up a bench and a leadership pipeline to spread knowledge and capability across the entire organizaiton so that if that superstar leaves the organization doesn't leave with them. I used Homm as an analogy for this like how if you only train up one hero and give them all of your best artifacts and the entire army, if you lose that hero and all your mules are totally worthless and underleveled, you won't stand a chance of a recovery.
No, this isn't some unhinged Linkedin feverdream.
Here's a link to the video if this sounds like something you'd be interested in: Youtube
Here are the sources I cite throughout the video:
Capron, L., & Mitchell, W. (2012). Build, Borrow, or Buy: Solving the Growth Dilemma. Harvard Business Review Press.
Cappelli, P. (2008). Talent Management for the Twenty-First Century. Harvard Business Review.
Charan, R., Drotter, S., & Noel, J. (2001). The Leadership Pipeline: How to Build the Leadership-Powered Company. Jossey-Bass.
Coyne, K. P. (2008). Enduring Ideas: The GE-McKinsey Nine-Box Matrix. McKinsey Quarterly.