Promotions Are Usually Based On...

If we’re going to have any real shot of avoiding the cost of a poor promotion, recognizing the right candidate to promote isn’t just a nice idea, it’s something we have to do effectively time after time. Not only will that help capture so much of the profitability that’s far too often lost in the process, it serves as a foundation building the kind of succession plan our organizations need to thrive moving forward!

As we talk with business owners and executives in every industry we serve, Cindy and I are sure to ask what about the biggest issues they’re facing with the people they have in leadership roles. And to a person, we hear almost the exact same words every single time! It goes like this:

“Our industry is really different. We have amazing people who were really great at what they did so we promoted them. Once they were in supervisor (or manager) roles, they struggled to get the same results from their teams as they were able to get when they were doing the job themselves. And we haven’t been able to do anything to change that.”

OK, so the words do vary slightly - but not much! Regardless of the industry, promotions at work are usually based on mastering the skill set required, a strong work ethic, and a history of being someone the organization has been able to count on. To be completely honest, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that! Each of those things most certainly deserve being recognized and rewarded. But they don’t necessarily translate directly to determining whether or not someone can jump in and lead…

Each of those things individually - dependability, work ethic, and technical skills - offer value to our teams. When all three are strong in the same person, coupled with a positive attitude and commitment to the organization, that’s definitely someone we need to do all we can to ensure they’re part of the team over the long haul! Traditionally though, the most common (and sometimes only) opportunity for these folks to grow internally has been to move into a supervisory or management role whether that was something they were genuinely interested in or not. And all too often, that’s led to comments like I referenced above from owners and executives.

If we’re going to build a succession plan that utilizes all the strengths our team members have to offer, an effective internal promotion process does indeed play a critical role. However, we need to be sure every (traditional) promotion is based on the right measurements. While those three things are definitely important, we’ll need to focus just as much on those skills that have historically been deemed as soft and intangible to realize the most value from that promotion. But that’s not the only way our best team members should be able to advance internally so the next thing we need to consider is how we can provide opportunities for everyone - even if there’s no desire whatsoever to lead a team…