True Story: Promoting the "Best"

by Don Harkey

Here is a true story I recently heard... A mid-sized company needed a new supervisor for a process. An employee of more than 10 years who applied for the position. In the interview, management told the employee that they were pretty much already running the department, but they were concerned that when they promoted him to supervisor, he wouldn't be spending as much time on the floor. He was just too valuable in his current position to promote! Instead, they hired a new person from outside the company and promoted him to the supervisor position. The employee of more than 10 years quit immediately.

Have you ever heard of someone who was considered "too valuable" to promote? This is a great example of how "rewards" can cloud motivation. First of all, the organization showed extreme short sightedness in not allowing the employee to continue to develop their skills by challenging him in new positions. Secondly, the organization obviously does not think that their supervisors need to be their best people. This is an interesting philosophy that probably indicates that the duties of the supervisor probably needs to be changed.

It is not uncommon that the first layers of management in organizations become more detached from the process and more attached to the bureaucracy of the company. I have known operators in manufacturing facilities who have been promoted and then asked to be demoted because they felt disconnected in their new responsibilities. The truth is that all employees and management should be allowed to feel that "pride of workmanship". Supervisors who are asked to be pencil pushers and disengage from the process will become de-motivated as they no longer find themselves directly related to the success of the company.

Be careful of how you use your supervisors and make sure that you give your best people more opportunities, not more problems!