Two Key Influences of Your Leadership Pipeline

It is a universal truth; we all need effective management. Managers are such an integral part in our organizations and make a major impact on our productivity, profitability, and culture. So how are companies selecting their up and comers? While working with the workforce at all levels, our team at People Centric have found two common factors that influence the talent pipeline process.

1. They are so good in the position they currently have. Time and time again, we see companies promote an employee who was an expert or great performer with their current job responsibilities. They say, "This person is great at their job, so they should be in management. They have the expertise and would know if their employees aren't doing something right."
2. The Immediate Need- Whether someone left, got promoted, or a new role is created, companies also decide to promote an employee because there are too many fires and they just need someone to fill in that role. They skip the external hiring process, suffer from hiring fatigue, or have a culture that believes "if you dedicated the time to work here, let's continue to get you up the chain."

While each of these reasons are great, necessary, and have an amazing sentiment behind them, it is not the only reason we should be promoting people into manager positions. There are so many other factors to think about in conjunction with the two listed above, including the person's culture fit, ability to lead and motivate others, understanding of strengths and team dynamics, and facilitation skills. The list goes on and on.