Promote or Not Promote? How Do You Decide About Job Promotions?

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Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America (Free-Press-Release.com) December 12, 2011 -- Promotion decisions can be very difficult, so don’t do it on a whim? Just because someone is doing a great job in their current position, does not mean they can do the next level job , although they may deserve to be considered. Too many managers assume that if someone is doing well in their current job, that they can take on the mantle of a new position that has totally different responsibilities and skill requirements. This logic is flawed and can lead to a disaster for both the employee and employer .

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Promote or Not Promote? How Do You Decide About Job Promotions?

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It is a great feeling to be promoted, but with it often comes more and new responsibilities, a change of relationships, a change in tasks, a need for new skills , a change in expectations and a change in how you are perceived. For the employer or boss, it means the same, the expectations are definitely different, and making both the responsibilities and expectations clear to the person being considered for promotion, and making sure they are up to the job, is very important.

Define the Responsibilities and Expectations
Before even thinking about promoting someone, take a step back, and go back to basics to define what is you need for your business :
• Define what it is you plan to do with your business, enterprise or function over the next year or so?
• What roles need to exist, and what reporting relationships and oversight is critical (do this without thinking about who is in what job right now)?
• What are the key responsibilities and what are your expectations of each position?

• Now go back to thinking about your team or work force and define who would best fit each of these different roles? (It is important to ask this question last). This exercise may also help you assess your current staff and potential changes in the roles and responsibilities they hold compared to what you need.
• You may need to figure out how you get from where you are today with your organization to how you want it to be tomorrow.

Position Need
The first question to ask is where are the gaps in your organization? Do you really need someone to take on new responsibilities and are all the tasks covered? Let’s assume you do have a gap, and you do have some potential internal candidates who could fill it but it would mean them taking on additional responsibilities.

Promote From Within

A lot of companies try to promote from within. After all, it makes sense. If you hired talented employees capable of growing their responsibilities then you should have a number of personnel worth considering for promotions. Promotion from within is also a boost for employees who see that management respect their workforce, train them for the next position and reward them with a promotion. Both sides benefit. But you should never try to fit a square peg into a round hole. Some people don’t want to manage other people, or don’t want to take on more responsibility.

Someone that does a great work at one particular job does not always perform well at a promoted level. Before considering a promotion within the company take a moment to think about the type of attributes you would like to see demonstrated in an individual that would predict they could take on the responsibilities of a job? It is these attributes that you should look for before promoting someone.

Promotion Mistake

In the high tech business world it often makes sense to have a hierarchical organization structure with both a management and technical ladder so that great technical skills can be rewarded with promotions as well as those that show an aptitude for people management. Again, the business should define what positions exist, and the candidate should be able to demonstrate an ability to perform the new responsibilities. At all costs, avoid the mistake or promoting an individual to fulfill their wish to be promoted. Remember, the position has to be a need of the business first, and they have to have demonstrated an ability to perform the role.

Internal Applicant
I also strongly believe in the approach of making someone apply for the job, even if they are an internal applicant. You have the benefit of knowing them and what they have done for you, but it helps to have them address how they would cope with the new responsibilities, skills and expectations, in an interview setting, which creates the right atmosphere for a heart to heart discussion of what a promotion really means.

Lastly, don’t forget to provide the newly promoted individual with the support they need to succeed. Make sure everyone understands their new role, the new reporting relationships, and their new responsibilities and continue to help them through the transition, which will pay dividends later.


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MP Consulting Services specializes in the areas of strategic planning, leadership, marketing and social media. Mark Philip, principal at MPCS, has over 20 years experience in managing businesses, both small and large, has orchestrated multiple turnarounds, built product pipelines, launched new products, sold companies and created significant shareholder value. Let me know how I can help you with your business challenge

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