Online Reporter
Employee Relations-Dr Request Machimbira
Promotions in the workplace are like a double-edged sword, cutting both ways with equal ferocity.
On one hand, they increase the internal mobility index, contribute to average employee tenure and generally boost worker engagement, illuminating the path to success.
However, both employers and employees need to be aware of the flip side of a promotion, where the familiar terrain of past glory gives way to the uncharted territory of new challenges. When an employee is promoted, two things must happen simultaneously.
We must celebrate with them, acknowledging their hard work and achievement.
However, we must also fear for them, recognising that their past glory may not guarantee success in the new role, and that they may face new challenges that require different skills and competencies.
Personal experience
I learned this lesson the hard way.
When I was just three months into my role as group human resources (HR) manager, my HR director resigned and I was asked to act in the position. I was still on probation. I was left to navigate challenges of the new role without adequate support or guidance.
I was like a sailor without a compass, struggling to find my way through the stormy waters of the diversified organisation.
The CEO was intimidating. I found myself avoiding his office, even for courtesy purposes. I was unsure of how to navigate the new dynamics, and I felt like I was in a way over my head. I carried technical ability in my new role and forgot to carry with me diplomatic acumen. A role mentor could have cured this easily. I was no longer an HR manager; however, l pitched like one, avoiding getting dirty, avoiding boardrooms and, in the process, limiting my impact as I restricted myself to reciting the Labour Act.
Unfortunately, the workplace reality is broader than the Labour Act and being politically savvy is, therefore, a required competency, especially at the top. One day, l was introduced to my new HR director in the corridor. I was gutted. A few months down the line, l got an opportunity to join a new company as group human resources executive.
My employer wanted me to stay but l had to go. It felt like revenge. In my second week at the new employer, my new CEO gave me a task that changed everything. He wanted me to prepare an operations critique. He wanted me to particularly focus on what we could do better, not what we were doing right. A lightbulb went off in my head. I realised that this was key to success in my new role.
The Rule of 30
This experience made me birth a concept that I now call the Rule of 30, where a new employee is asked to give an operations critique within 30 days of assumption of a new role.
This simple yet powerful tool helps to:
Identify problems and in the process formulate solutions.
Jumpstart the employee’s capability to function at solutions level. · Enhance the employee’s ability to see. If you cannot see a problem effectively, you cannot fix it.
Place employee in the lane of impact, where they can make a meaningful contribution to the organisation.
The still birth syndrome
The still birth syndrome occurs when a newly promoted employee fails to relinquish their previous role, often due to comfort and familiarity. This can lead to what we can term HR baby dumping, where the employee is left to find their way without adequate support.
Protection of competency syndrome
New portfolios have a tendency of creating new levels of incompetence.
When an employee sticks to a role they know, it may not be resistance to change but rather the protection of competency syndrome.
They will be trying to perfect their competency in a familiar area, rather than taking on new challenges that may require different skills and competencies.
Promotion is a solution, but it must be done correctly. Employers and employees need to be aware of the potential challenges and take steps to support the new employee.
Dr Request Machimbira is the executive director of Proficiency Consulting Group International. He is a leading, award-winning human resources expert, strategy facilitator, board trainer, team building coach, independent labour arbitrator, board chairperson and published author. He writes in his personal capacity. For feedback, email [email protected] or phone +263772693404.
Tinaye Agere