When you apply the "speak or shut up" approach consistently, you start seeing systemic gaps in the team expertise more clearly. And very fast you understand, what should be done to make it better: somebody should just fill the gaps.
Nobody can and should fill all the gaps, but, if the expertise gaps are in the same areas, which you planned to learn anyway, why not just learn it and then do? If someone could do it, somebody would already.
So the facts are:
- no one except me will do it anyway
- team success depends on it
Filling the gaps often comes with a struggle: nobody touched the thing for years for a reason, didn't they? It also usually requires sacrifices like learning and working overtime: in the normal hours you do what you are asked to do, don't you?
I do it anyway. I saw many times in practice that huge programs failed, when nobody wanted to address the fundamental challenges. And the opposite - success comes as soon as you touch a small thing nobody was willing to touch for years.
It is not easy. For example, some HR people and managers don't get it, when on a job interview they ask what you want doing and you anwer you fill the gaps. Even if you say you fill gaps in the area of your expertise, they say you don't know what you really want to do. Not sure if they are really looking for self-centric, "I don't care even everything is burnt around" types, but this is what happened to me in practice.
Gaps identification and coverage requires carefully tailored strategy and perfect execution, but when you get, it pays off. You learn on the way, grow, and bring much bigger value than by sitting still. Agree?