Should You Promote New Employees to a Leadership Post?

In most companies, the seniority rule is followed. It means that those who have been in the organization for a long time have a greater chance of getting a promotion. If a post opens up, they’re first on the list. However, seniority isn’t necessarily an indicator of good leadership. If someone else is more deserving of that post, shouldn’t you give the opportunity to that person? It’s even more controversial if you decide to hand it to someone who recently joined the company. Is it worth the risk?

Check your standards

Before you offer someone a promotion, you need to have clear standards. Sure, experience is an important criterion, but it shouldn’t be the only one. You need to consider other qualities before you decide to promote someone. It includes leadership skills, good attitude, and ability to do the designated post. If you believe that a new employee has all the qualities needed for the job, you should pursue the promotion. 

There’s a process

You also need to observe a process before hiring someone. Ask the potential candidates to submit documents if interested for the post. Review these documents and see if they’re a perfect fit. Then, you need to have an interview. Ask important questions about the job. Personal questions such as values and attitudes should also be included, especially if they’re useful in how you select the person to get the promotion. Once you have a strict process of determining who gets the job, you will most likely end up getting it right. 

Don’t allow personal relations to affect your decision

This idea might be quite controversial since some people would argue that relationship matters. When you have to work with someone you’re going to promote, you want to share the same attitude and values. You also want to view the company the same way. The thing is that your personal relationship might cloud your judgment. You will overlook everything else because you believe that your relationship is more important. Worse, you’re afraid to break that person’s heart and adversely impact your friendship. This idea only intensifies the fact that personal relationships shouldn’t matter. The problem when you prioritize relationship is that you might pass on the opportunity to hire someone who deserves the job. 

The downside of a newbie

The only problem in hiring someone who recently joined the organization is the lack of understanding of the company’s mission and vision. You might have a hard time working with someone who doesn’t see you eye to eye in this regard. To someone new to the company, these goals are just words. Those who have been around understand what the company stands for, and the motivation behind the goals. 

The point is that you have to give an equal opportunity to everyone who wants the job. You should also be fair in determining who will take the position. Whether it’s someone you or not, it doesn’t matter. As long as you can trust the person to do the responsibility, you’re taking the right step.

Photo Attribution:

1^st and featured image from https://industriacide.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/right-Manager.jpg

2^nd image from https://resources.workable.com/promotion-policy