NEVER support a promotion hastily

Several months ago, I posted a blog on our role as managers in helping to develop our people for career growth.  Development of our people is a major responsibility of management and I received many questions and comments from my previous posting. I outlined in that post a number of developmental areas that you could help expose your mentee to.  The title of that post was “First Line Manager Development” posted March 7, 2012.  You may want to re-visit the post at http://amgtconsulting.blogspot.com/2012/03/arent-management-consulting-first-line.html

I have a very strong belief that development of our people is the primary responsibility of all levels of management.  In order for a company to thrive and be successful, internal development of our employees is critical. It’s a great accomplishment to have a hand in the promotion of a direct report but keep in mind that your support of the individual for promotion reflects on you throughout that person’s career.  A good recommendation speaks volumes…the same could be said for a poor choice.  The more “global” you can make this person, the more likely that he/she will be successful.  Ask yourself if you have helped guarantee that this person has the skills, knowledge and desire to ensure their success. In addition to the development exercises that we discussed on the earlier post, you may want to take a look at several of the following behavior traits:

Historical track record ~ Was this person accountable for success in his previous position? Do these accomplishments blend into the position that you are considering promoting them to?  Do they have the desire to go ‘above and beyond” in proving their abilities?  Do you trust this person?  Do they follow-up on their plans and meet and exceed expectations?  Can you count on them to deliver?

Team-oriented? ~ In their previous position, did they work well within the team?  Were they cooperative, encouraging and helpful?  Would you as their current supervisor be encouraged by this individual if roles were reversed?  What kind of past behaviors suggest that they worked well in a team environment?  Would these same situations likely come up again in their new position?  Skill sets for individual growth differ quite a bit from those of a leader.  Ask yourself and consider interactions that you have seen over their career.  How is their communication skills?  How do they handle stress?

Planning & Organization ~ In what situations have you seen this individual as it relates to administrative responsibilities? What types of planning were they responsible for?  How will this differ in the new position?  How organized is this person?  Are they prepared for the huge increase in administrative responsibilities? Are they prepared for monitoring the metrics and the analysis that will be needed?

Student or Expert? ~ How did this individual go about learning what was required for their previous success?  Are they still learning today?  Today’s leaders need to be resilient and be ready for change.  How quickly can they adapt to a changing marketplace?  How do they manage stress?  Considering their current position, what tangible things can you note about their self-development?  How often did they take a lead in trying something new or approaching issues?  This is one of the key areas to minimize the risk that the candidate is stuck in their own ways and doing the same things over their career.  Are they problem or solutions oriented?

Fire in their Belly? ~ What specific things has this person done to develop their skills?  Will they be able to handle the additional responsibilities without “stressing out”?  How committed are they to the increased responsibilities and to the company?

Inspiration, Motivation & Leadership ~ Relating to your exposure to this individual in team interactions – Can you see this individual setting an environment for success?  Will this individual walk his talk?  Does he show good judgment?

Employee development is a key responsibility.  Do not cut corners when you are helping to develop your people.  Never promote someone before they are ready…It may negatively impact someone if they get passed over for a promotion but think of it as a short-term situation versus a longer-term decision.  In the meantime, continue to coach and mentor the candidate and when they ultimately earn their promotion they will be much more deserving and capable of performance!  Let me know your thoughts and please feel free to comment or share this posting if you like it!