They say we grow by learning and we grow more by teaching what we have. Maybe this applied in academia and the teaching world, but not within a surrounding of employment where you are competing with others and you are kept around because of the unique skill that you have.
Someone said that in an employment setup, do not teach them such that they can do without you. Teach them just enough so that they need you the following day. Many call this selfish but I call it a smart move. A move that will ensure that you are needed.
Employers in Kenya are always looking for ways to cut costs and that includes that employee who earns more than others. They are always asking whether what you earn is in line with what you give to the business. They let you stay because you have what they need.
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Now, imagine teaching that skill to someone, within the same company, who will do what you do at a lower pay. Do you think you will continue hanging around? Of course, the employer will no longer need you and you will be laid off without a second thought.
I had a friend who was working at a company along Mombasa Road. A manufacturing company. At the end of every shift, he would clear everything from his machine. I thought it was weird until he explained it to me. “If they get all these, I will be irrelevant tomorrow.”
It is not selfish or unwillingness to teach your skills. But the world has become so unfriendly that you have to always look at tomorrow and how you will survive. Those who want your job do not care about your tomorrow.
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