The Decision to Promote: Lead with Comprehensive Assessment

http://www.articlesbase.com/human-resources-articles/the-decision-to-promote-lead-with-comprehensive-assessment-3874442.html

It’s time to reward a hardworking, loyal employee. You have an open management slot and you’re considering promoting him or her. How do you know if you have the right person for the position? How can you determine in advance if this employee will succeed in his or her new role? Before you choose to move someone up in your organization, you need to understand your responsibilities. While it’s great to give employees a chance to grow, people who are effective in their current positions may not always have the skills necessary to excel in higher level jobs. With management ranks typically thinned down to a bare minimum, building a high performing team of supervisors is critical to your company’s success.
Unfortunately, this layer of management often evolves haphazardly. Best practices recommend you assess your in-house talent before you promote.
It’s not like blue eyes!
None of us are born with a gene for management. Many companies assume that the ability to supervise comes naturally, so they provide little or no management training. While some people have a more natural aptitude toward management than others, this is not a substitute for sound preparation. Management skills do not magically appear once someone is promoted. It’s all too easy to fall into the old “Peter Principle” trap – promoting people to their level of incompetence.
He’s just like me!
It’s not uncommon for a business owner to highly identify with a particular employee and see “Superstar” qualities that are not evident to others. A leader may overlook qualities the employee may be missing, such as project management or people skills. Accurate assessment is crucial in these situations. Feedback from other leaders in the company should be solicited before promotion is considered. This feedback doesn’t necessarily have to derail a promotion; however, additional objective input may point to areas that need further training and development.
What if they leave?!
The decision to promote may be based on the fear that if an employee is not promoted he or she will leave the organization. Promotion decisions based on a “between a rock and a hard place” mentality are questionable at best. Again, take the time to compare the employee’s skills with the responsibilities of the position. If it’s not a good match right now, then best business practices strongly suggest you look elsewhere for your management candidate.
We can’t find anyone else!
If a business doesn’t have a good recruiting process in place, the tendency may be to promote an employee too soon because they are there. Don’t be tempted to follow this path. Better to temporarily allocate responsibilities among experienced managers than to press them on an employee who is ill-equipped to handle them. If the candidate you seek in not in-house, then begin your search outside.
What does a potential manager look like?
In addition to technical ability, an employee who is being considered for management responsibility should also display the following competencies:
•
Leadership ability: the ability to influence and encourage others.
•
Emotional intelligence: the ability to relate to and appreciate individual circumstances.
•
Personal confidence: the ability to be proactive as opposed to waiting for direction.
•
Global conceptualization: the ability to grasp big picture initiatives and company-wide goals.
Assessment tools such as 360 degree feedback, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and DISC behavioral profiling can help identify a person’s particular management style and areas for development.
An organization must take responsibility to prepare promoted employees for their new roles. Leaving this important step to chance is akin to starting a long car trip without checking the gas tank. You just don’t want to do it. Be sure to provide adequate training in the skills that will make the new manager a real success – and a real asset to your company.
Organizations that report consistent profit year after year are those that are able to identify, develop and retain good managers. Incompetent management is one organizational factor that no amount of strategy can overcome. You depend on your management group to execute your policies, motivate your staff and drive the future of your business. Take the time to put the right people in the right places!