Identifying who is fit for a promotion is a challenge for every manager. Also for the ones who have been doing the job for years. Especially in fast-growing organizations, the pressure to promote employees can be high. Even the best-performing organizations of the world are struggling with this topic.
Who to Promote: 7 things to consider
In this article, we will take a look at who to promote within your organization. We have compiled a list that you can use to help you in the process. If you are not a manager but still eager to get a promotion, you can be inspired to be of more value to your organization.
1. The right skills
Firstly, an employee needs the right skills to be promoted. If someone just started as a Junior, they’re probably not ready for a Senior role just yet. Skills usually come from experience in the field and the right education. Every project for a Junior is a chance to develop the skills needed to be great at the job. Moreover, you also need to look for completely new skills for a new job. A Manager requires other skills next to in-depth knowledge of the company and its products. They need to have good soft skills too! Just because someone is amazing at finance or development, that doesn’t mean that they will be a great manager.
2. Self-management
Secondly, being able to work independently is very important. Think about working on your own projects and not constantly asking the manager what work to do. In addition to this, a good employee is also able to deal with time conflicting priorities. A promotion usually comes with more responsibility and more projects. A good employee needs to be able to manage workload, their time or willing to learn how to do it.
3. Self-improvement
Thirdly, a great sign of an engaged employer ready to be promoted is the willingness to improve themselves. They like to read about topics related to their job and are always looking for ways to improve themselves. Attending webinars, reading books, and being very active within the community are usually good signs. In addition to this, they usually like to share their knowledge. Think about activity on LinkedIn, writing a blog, being active on the intranet, or giving workshops, both internal and external.
4. Going the extra mile
These are the colleagues that don’t run off the minute the clock strikes 5 PM. We are not saying that your employees need to stay late or refuse to take a break, but you can definitely spot the employees that are willing to put in the extra effort. Take note of these employees, as they won’t let you down when one of your customers urgently needs help.
5. Ambition
Obviously, the employee needs to have ambition too. They could be a top performer, but they also need to want to be promoted themselves. With a promotion, you usually get more responsibilities. Sometimes it means that an employee will stop doing their current work, which could be a reason for employees not wanting to be promoted.
Also, within your periodic employee reviews, employees should mention where they see themselves within 1 or 2 years. If they have the ambition to climb their way up within your organization, they will definitely let you know!
6. Culture
In addition to ambition, the right employee also needs to embrace the organization’s culture. Your vision, mission, way of communicating, and values all need to be carried by the employee. Moreover, there also needs to be a cultural fit with the employees’ new team.
7. Strategy
Lastly, with a promotion, you usually get more responsibilities. You also need to be able to think on a strategic level: advising customers, management, and other colleagues. When an employee moves up to management or leadership, they switch from operations to long term thinking. Strategic thinking can be trained, but this will vary from person to person. Some people are just better at seeing the bigger picture and thinking ahead.
Who to Promote: Use tools!
Next to the seven tips mentioned above, you can also make use of technology to help you make decisions. With our Performance Management solution for Dynamics 365 HR, you can keep track of your employees’ progress at the touch of a button. The solution offers goal management and the ability to cascade goals. In addition to this, you can set up notifications to inform managers and employees in time for their next assessment.
Our Succession Planning solution for Dynamics 365 HR helps you identify employees who will lift your organization in the future. It allows your organization to align based on current and future business needs. Moreover, you can create recommended development opportunities to grow your talent. This way, you can prepare your organization for things to come, including deciding who to promote.
With the use of the 7 steps guide and the right technology, you should be able to find the right person to promote!
