Promotions are a great thing. Most people live for promotions.
Most.
Yet, often, in many organizations we observe a talented individual and, because we believe more responsibility for this talented individual will mean greater success for the organization, we promote the individual.
And sometimes – more than we care to admit – the individual fails.
What happened?
We promoted the individual past the point of their competence.
This lack of competence does not make the person a bad employee. It means we, the leader, made a poor leadership decision.
Promotions should be based on the future competence of a person rather than their current performance. It is important to remember, not everyone should be promoted.
For the good of organization – and the person – sometimes (many times) it is best to keep this person right where they are. Sure, every person needs opportunities to grow, but often these opportunities can come within a person’s current position.
Promotions good and necessary… when given to the right person.
Published by JC Hurtado-Prater | Leadership Professor + Consultant
JC Hurtado-Prater serves as Assistant Dean and Associate Professor of Leadership at the Fermanian School of Business at Point Loma Nazarene University where he oversees the graduate business and leadership programs. In addition, through his company, Bluestone Consulting, LLC, JC serves as a leadership consultant for executives and teams at global organizations such as Johnson + Johnson, Cisco, Visa, U.S. Navy, U.S. Department of Interior, U.S. Centers for Disease Control, Harbor Freight, Park Hyatt and more.
A veteran of the United States Army, JC earned a BA from UCLA, MBA through Saint Joseph’s College and is currently completing his doctorate in business administration through Indiana Wesleyan University. Passionate about community service in San Diego, JC serves on several local boards for organizations such as UC San Diego, South Bay Community Services, Thrivent Financial Southwest Region and Southwestern College Foundation. JC resides in the 4S Ranch area of San Diego, CA. In his free time, JC enjoys reading, working out and kayaking the California coast.
View all posts by JC Hurtado-Prater | Leadership Professor + Consultant
The Leadership Playbook 