He knows exactly how this system works. He has known for twenty years. He does not write it down. He does not teach it. Ask him why and he will say he is busy. The real reason is closer to fear. He worries that if others know what he knows, he becomes less valuable. This is the Knowledge Hoarding pattern. The solution is not pressure. The solution is safety.
Practical Techniques
Right now he hears “share your knowledge” and reads “become replaceable.” Reframe it. Sharing moves him from expert to authority. He does not just do the work. He shapes how others do the work. Say: “You are the only one who can write this guide. No one else has your history with this.” That is different from being asked to train his replacement.
Give Credit in Public
Name him when his knowledge gets used. In meeting notes, in documentation, on the team page. “This process was documented by [his name]” is not just polite. It answers the fear. His name stays attached to the knowledge. He has not been erased.
Use a Template, Not a Blank Page
A blank page and a question like “can you document everything you know?” leads nowhere. Give him a template with specific questions: What does this process do? What goes wrong and how do you fix it? Who else should know this? A structure makes the task concrete. He writes the answers. You handle the formatting.
Why This Works
Knowledge hoarding comes from a real fear: lose the knowledge monopoly, lose the job security. These techniques address that fear directly. He gains recognition and does not just lose exclusivity. The trade starts to feel fair.
Watch the Workload
If he is already stretched, adding documentation on top will stop the sharing. Give him time for it. Make it part of his job, not an addition to it.