Have you ever had an employee that showed so much promise, you couldn’t help but be excited about their career progression? From potential candidate to new up-and-comer, you have witnessed this person become a vital part of your team. This is especially exciting to see if your company is a startup with a low staff count.
However, there is certainly a danger in promoting someone too soon. Many times, an employee that shows a lot of promise moves up quickly within an organization, only to fail in their scaling process. These employees often feel the need to leave the company if they can not adjust to their new responsibilities and perform up to expectations. Losing these employees can be a massive blow to any business.
So how do we know when someone is ready? When can we start preparing the offer letter and ordering new business cards?
It is important to first identify which characteristics make your employee a great individual contributor and which will transfer over to leading a team or handling more responsibility. There is a reason why some of us fail at team sports but excel in individual sports. Can this person manage others and/or handle a bigger workload?
After identifying where your promotion candidate is lacking, determine how coachable those missing skills are, and how receptive to instruction your candidate is. Can your star performer easily acquire those leadership skills needed to run a team? With a little time and training, you may have concocted the best employee candidate for that promotion!
What steps do you take to make sure your candidate is promotion ready?
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