The Promotion Conundrum

How many times have you sat around the water cooler discussing what is screwed up with those people in positions of leadership above you? I am guessing that only a few of us have not done this at one time or another. 

But here is something to think about the next time you sit around complaining about your company’s leadership at any level. We are responsible for placing them there.

I’ll use sales as an example. I have seen too many occasions where the #1 sales rep was promoted to be a Sales Manager (I hate that word). 

The thinking was, hey, he/she was the number one rep for me (maybe more than once) so they must be able to fill that Sales Manager job. 

Most of the ones I observed failed. Not because they were not good sales reps or were not good people, but in most of these cases they were not ready to lead, and when put into positions of leadership they were not equipped with the right training to even have a chance. 

I have talked with many of them afterwards and, to a person, they all freely admitted that they were not really ready for a leadership role.

If you want to fix the problem you perceive exists in the leadership structure of your organization, pay attention to how you promote or rank people. 

Promote people according to the entire package. Technical expertise at whatever job they hold does not equate to leadership. 

That is only one part of the package. But, if they cannot lead ants to a picnic then they are being set up to fail.

To get real leaders in place, promote the person with the total package. You know who can lead and who cannot (at least without some training). 

If you promote the ones that are better leaders you will get better leadership. Just because someone is the best sales rep doesn’t mean they will be a good sales manager. 

My financial advisor always says that past performance is not a guarantee of future performance.

So you leaders out there (and those of you that eventually get into those roles) need to start by grooming your replacements. 

By preparing those under you to replace you when you move up (or on) you are helping yourselves, your companies and your future leaders. 

Or, we can keep promoting those that are not ready so that we can have more people to talk about at the water cooler.

For more information about how The Cobalt Group can help you with any business or leadership challenges you are facing, Contact us.

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