David Bianconi?, founder and CEO of an Ohio provider of managed care services, says he learned the hard way that giving an employee a promotion isn’t always a good thing — sometimes, it’s a setup for failure.
Like all good leaders, Bianconi looked at his failure and used it to create a better way to manage employees’ movement within his business. Now, as he explained to Smart Business Columbus, when he thinks someone may be ready for a promotion, he gives them some responsibilities to test their readiness in action. If they do well, they get a promotion; if not, they don’t have to feel the sting of failure by being demoted.
This sounds like a practical and humane way to handle employees. I’ve definitely seen people set up for failure and been sad to witness their suffering as the inevitable occurred.
Is it better to take a slow approach to promotions? Do you see any downsides to this strategy?
Image credit, evirgen via iStock