3 Essentials for Getting Promoted
Recently, I was talking to the Business Unit Leader of a huge General Contractor.
They’ve been executing their strategic plan for years and are finally getting to a critical moment: they are ready to start giving the next generation of the business more responsibility. We talked about what the next generation needs to do to take ownership of the future, and one of the keys is getting the right people in the right roles.
This can be a challenge because sometimes it’s not clear who is capable of bigger roles or if they really want one to begin with. When evaluating your high-potential employees for taking on advanced roles, there are 3 essentials you should be looking for:
Ambition
Effort
Competency
Ambition is simple do they demonstrate a desire for awesome growth? Do they have big dreams for themselves and picture a future where they are in a high-level position? Sometimes, they may have trouble envisioning themselves in such a role, so you may have to ask yourself: even if they haven’t communicated that desire, do their actions indicate they have untapped ambition that we can pull out of them? In short, it’s not worth promoting someone who doesn’t want it. It usually just leads to disappointment.
Effort is all about action: Are they taking the actions necessary to be successful as an executive? This may be things like:
Are they taking on responsibilities outside their defined role to help the business?
Are they training and developing others when they’ve never been asked to?
Are they getting into the office before anyone else?
Are they leaving the office after everyone else?
Are they doing sales and business development?
Are they pursuing certifications that will give them credibility?
Are they willing to go back to school part-time to get their Master’s?
Not every question needs to be a, “yes”, but the more yeses, the more likely they are ready to keep growing.
Competency is the ability to do the job. This may be technical competency (e.g. Sr. Project Managers being able to build a CPM schedule in P6), or it may be leadership competency. Whichever it is, you need a solid mix of technical and leadership competency to feel confident in promoting someone up the ranks.
As a leader in your business, it’s your job to evaluate your high-potential employees on these 3 criteria before inciting them into a more advanced role. Unfortunately, all 3 aren’t always there, although that doesn’t necessarily mean they are the wrong choice. But it does mean you have to do some more digging.
Lacking One of the Big 3
When ambition isn’t there, you may have a “rockstar” on your hands. Rockstars are amazing at their roles but have no desire to grow into higher roles. Meanwhile, superstars are the high performers who want to advance all the time. You need a good mix of both, and it’s actually amazing to have rockstars holding down key roles! But it doesn’t make your job easy when you have an open leadership position and the rockstar doesn’t want it.
Overcoming a lack of ambition may come down to inciting the person to action. Show them the reasons why their future would be brighter if they took on more responsibility and confirm your commitment to helping them develop. Make an agreement to give it a try and re-evaluate in 6 months. You may just find this is the best person you could have picked for the role.
When effort isn’t there, you are in a tough spot. This means the person is competent and ambitious but slacks off. That type of personality in a leadership role sets a bad example for the rest of the team. Usually, they need a reality check that growth and leadership isn’t something you’re given, but something you earn. Push them to give you the effort needed and make them prove it before you’re willing to promote them.
When competency isn’t there, it stinks. This means you have someone who has big dreams and works their butt off, but just isn’t very good at the job. I think this is the hardest situation to deal with because they are probably a great culture fit and teammate, but they just can’t seem to nail the job. Ugh—so much missed potential!
Be clear with this type of person that they must increase their technical and/or leadership skills to be considered for the bigger roles. As an alternative, consider finding another role that they truly do have competency in, and whether they could advance more quickly there. Shifting this type of person to a better spot for them can produce amazing results.
The Challenge
It’s always a challenge to plan for the next generation—you need so many good people to grow! If you’re going through that process, make sure you’re selecting your candidates on the right criteria. Ambition, effort, and competency will tell you a lot. And when do you get all 3 in a person? Treat them right, keep pushing them, and help them see an amazing future. Because you’re going to want to keep them around.
I hope that helps.
Email me if you think you could use some help doing this in your organization.
Good luck.
Spark Notes:
When evaluating high-potential employees for advanced roles, focus on three key essentials: ambition, effort, and competency.
Ambition is about identifying those who not only desire growth but show signs of untapped potential through their actions.
Effort is seen in those who go above and beyond their roles, taking extra responsibilities, training others, and pursuing further education.
Competency requires a solid mix of technical and leadership skills, and gaps in this area should be addressed before considering promotions.
Finding the right future leaders is challenging, but those who embody all three qualities are invaluable assets to nurture for business growth.
