When a person is asked to take on a leadership role, it is done with good intentions. The person does not do as well as hoped. Why? There are a variety of factors, and most can be avoided.
While there are people who seek a leadership role early on, most who end up there do not take that route. A manager resigns. The leader’s job is to find a replacement. The first place to look is the department where the person is leaving from. Typically, an internal person who is doing great work in their specific role is asked to assume this new responsibility. The most common ask is, “Can you help us on an interim basis?” Because they’re part of the organization and a team player, the person says yes.
But how long does an interim role last? How much skill building and development will the person receive? These are tough jobs. There is not a long line beating down the Human Resources leader’s door to be in a leadership role. So, what often happens is the interim becomes permanent.
In the 1969 book, The Peter Principle by Laurence J. Peter and Raymond Hull, the authors’ message is that people keep getting promoted until they reach their level of incompetency. Then they stay there. There may be a sliver of truth in that message. However, it does not have to be that way.
A few tips:
- Make a depth chart. In a situation where someone leaves suddenly, who can take each person’s place?
- Establish a career path for people in the organization who appear interested in leadership and/or show a natural talent for it.
- When an internal promotion takes place, realize it is still a new job even if the person has been with the organization a while. Being a front-line worker is different from managing people. There is the normal adjustment that includes self-doubt and learning new things. It’s crucial to have empathy for their lack of experience and hold regular development conversations.
- Provide an exit ramp. A manager was not achieving good results, and the decision was made to remove her from the role. As the conversation took place, it became clear that the manager was relieved. She shared she never liked the role and only accepted it because she was asked to help. She said she missed direct patient care, and asked if it would be okay if she stayed on in a nursing role.
- Make investing in the leader your “job one.” People want to do well, and they will when you develop them in a way that fits their role, their strengths, and their unique learning style. (Precision Leader DevelopmentÔ is an example of a system that takes all of this into account.)
The Covid and Baby Boomers’ departures mean there’s less experience in operations. Often, leaders underestimate the impact of this. Plus, due to financial pressure, one of the first things to be reduced is training. We are at the point where investing in people has never been more important.
People are a great investment. They want to do a great job. Build a depth chart, create real career paths, and invest in your people. They’ll rise to it.
