Business – How Management’s Promotion Policies May Create Super Failures
Many organizations subscribe to the policy of promotion from within. Today, many eager employees consistently demonstrate all the capacities of being a “super-worker.” Each and every day, their strengths of job specific skills are viewed by their “bosses.” When that one management position is available, these “super-workers” hungrily vie for that position. And sometimes with hard work, one of these individuals safely reaches that next step up the corporate or management ladder – being a Supervisor.
Now, this highly skilled super-worker is catapulted into an entirely different world of management – supervision. The skills that brought him or her to this new level of supervision are not the same skills required to be successful in this role.
In the previous role, the newly promoted supervisor probably spent the majority of her or his time using job specific skills such as selling or running machinery. This individual was the best of the best. Now, those very skills that provided the access to this new position will be replaced by new skills such as effective interpersonal skills and leadership. Job specific skills will be relegated to the bottom of the skill bucket while these new skills will be at the top.
Suddenly, a new picture has emerged. The super-worker is now the supervisor, but in many cases with an empty skill bucket. This is how the promotion of the super-worker to supervisor without further interpersonal development of that individual potentially creates super-failures.
To avoid this costly scenario, assess your current training and management policies to ensure that every new supervisor can demonstrate at least the following:
List the 5 functions of a supervisor Define how to be an effective supervisor Set and achieve goals consistently Recognize how to integrate the role of leader and follower Determine how to reconcile current time management demands with future demands Describe 6 strategies to help motivate others Characterize effective communication both personally and organizationally Understand performance appraisals and how to use them as a tool for performance improvement Recognize the difference between training and development List 6 principles for decision making
By accepting that the high performing super-worker cannot automatically turn into the same high performing supervisor without additional development is the one significant action that you can embrace. This action will increase your bottom line and create the high performance organizational culture necessary to be competitive in today’s 24/7 global market place. Failure to take such action will only continue to create super-failures in your organization.
February 29th, 2012 in
Business | tags: Current Time, Job, Management Ladder, Management Position, New Position
