OpinionDec 12 2014

Beware of the pitfalls of promotion: author

twitter-iconfacebook-iconlinkedin-iconmail-iconprint-icon
Search supported by
comment-speech

It is essential for an individual to leap over two chasms when making the transition from worker to manager, and then manager to leader, according to Kieran Hearty

The author of How to Eat the Elephant in the Room, said that people tend to stumble as they progress up the career ladder – which damages their reputation and stock.

According to a survey conducted by Gallup, which examined 341,186 applicants and 70 applicant samples from organisations using managerial assessments to get a percentage of individuals with high and basic managerial talent, companies fail to choose the candidate with the right talent for the job 82 per cent of the time.

Mr Hearty said: “However, while the implications are grave, the opportunity is great; by taking time to understand these chasms in greater depth, and to taking steps to ensure we, and the people we promote, can successfully leap them, we will help our businesses to grow and our teams to develop.”

Failure at the first chasm, which is a step up from worker to manager, is identifiable by a drop in productivity – caused by managers who focus solely on their own output, rather than coaching and supporting the team, Mr Hearty said.

As the manager becomes more stressed and exhausted, their behaviour towards team members may also decline, which impacts morale, he added.

“The impact: your value to the organisation, instead of rising towards 50 per cent, falls dramatically. There is still some value in the individual tasks that you perform, but even this will erode as you continue to try to do everything.”

Mr Hearty said success in the first step required an individual to change his attitude to adapt to the new role, rewrite their job description to formalise the position, work for the team and to delegate responsibility.

In addition, coaching team members to equip them with the right skills for success, taking time to nurture their capabilities to stimulate development; and collaborating with and supporting other managers who are dependant on the team is paramount.

The second leap is from manager, or worker, to leader according to Mr Hearty, who is also an executive coach, consultant and leadership speaker with more than 30 years’ experience across international technology and financial services companies.

He said: “There are two levels to this chasm, the deepest of which is occupied by leaders who failed to leap the first chasm, but somehow continued their upward progression.

“Successful managers demonstrate some solid leadership potential, but once again, they may need to ‘let go’ of a lot of their tactical focus in order to be more strategic.

“One difference is that whereas the role of each manager should be to serve his team, the role of each leader is to serve his managers.”

Success in this step is again dependent on the individual’s ability to change her attitude and adapt to her new role, and on how well she can coach her team, according to Mr Hearty.

However, the individual must also learn a host of new skills. He should be strategic and able to let go of tactical work, be a mentor, take responsibility and learn by listening to feedback, Mr Hearty said.

In addition he/she should serve the company and communicate in an informative manner, which also energises the team.

Adviser view:

Daren O’Brien, IFA at Aurora Financial Solutions, said: “If someone excels in their current line of work, it does not necessarily mean that they would be good at managing people.

“It is important for those in senior roles to listen to the people they are managing and not to be too hard on their team too quickly.”