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a central stone at the summit of an arch, locking the whole together.
At the extreme, there are the keystone team members.
The keystone team members are those who, if they were removed, the whole structure would collapse.
It has been suggested that "nobody is indispensable" and, although that might be true in the long term, in the short term, losing a keystone team member can be very damaging.
By the way, losing a keystone team member can include them having to cover for someone else's job because your recruitment lacks initiative. I'm hearing every week from keystone team members who are unable to fulfil their potential because they are spending time "covering".
A client asked me yesterday how best to recruit nurses in a market that seems devoid of available talent.
My reply:
Hiring anybody nowadays is:
Gumtree and Indeed
posting a vacancy on Linkedin
posting all over your Facebook and Instagram and asking people like me to do the same (just send copy)
asking your team to post
writing to your patients (we all know 150 people)
asking reps
looking for local online job forums
looking for online nursing forums
print media advertising locally
advertising in your blogs, vlogs, podcasts and newsletters
asking around Study Clubs, peer groups, alumni and post-graduate societies
keeping your eyes open for the barista, shop assistant or waiter who serves you well (and with enthusiasm) and asking them if they would like to work for you
Relentless innit.