To Promote or Not to Promote
Let’s be frank for a moment: some people shouldn’t be promoted into a management position. Not because they don’t deserve it. Not because they didn’t work hard enough to be rewarded.
Some people shouldn’t be turned into managers because being put into a position of leadership could make them (and everyone around them) miserable.
That’s because even though someone might be really good at what they do (sales, product development), this by no means implies that they are capable (or willing) to be a leader to others.
And yet, so many of us get lured into thinking that the only way to get validated for our work is by getting that promotion, by “moving up the ladder”.
”If you can upgrade your cubicle to a corner office, you’ll have power.”
”If you become a manager, you’ll gain influence.”
”If you snatch that promotion, you’ll get to take a bigger pay check home to your family.”
Unfortunately, most people don’t know what they’re getting themselves into when they move into a leadership position. Because leading a team is a whole different ball game. It’s no longer about how much you know, but much more about how good you are at listening, delegating, giving feedback and bringing the team together.
Some end up doing an okay job but yearn for the old days when they could focus on their expertise. Others struggle to meet the new expectations and ultimately burn out. Promotions can quite easily - unintentionally - result in unhappiness and exhaustion.
But it doesn’t have to be this way.
Organizations could and should help the people they consider promoting into a management position to discover whether this is really the right choice for them. Does the person:
understand the requirements of the position?
actually wants to take on the new role (and everything that comes with it)?
has the capacity to do the job well?
These questions seem simple enough, but when all parties go in with a genuine understanding of the mindset shift needed to transition from a great on-the-job performer to a leader of people, so much trouble can be avoided in the future.
Now if you’re not sure whether your employee is ready to “move on up” or if you’d like to explore different ways of rewarding a great performer on your team, it may be time to get in touch. At Signum, we help organizations of all sizes and complexities get it right the first time around.