While all your employees may not crave a promotion, some will. For
those employees, upward mobility is the key motivator. They are willing
to cooperate and contribute, but they want to advance in their careers.
Unfortunately, promotions do not always happen fast enough for some
employees.
There are two good news points to this situation. First,
career advancement does not have to be only about getting promoted.
Rather, it can be about activities, projects, or assignments that
contribute to opportunities for promotion. Second, employees know that
promotions are not always possible. So they are willing to consider
opportunities that contribute to advancement. Employees want to feel
that they are working on their careers, even if they are not receiving a promotion.
To make the link between career advancement and job performance, do
two things. One, look for career related opportunities in every
assignment. Two, explain how every assignment offers a career related
opportunity and a chance for employees to work ontheir careers. Consider theses examples:
1. You want your employee to participate in a task force. This task
force will be led by an influential department manager (career related
opportunity).
2. You want your employee to make a presentation at a conference.
There will be several high profile managers at this conference (career
related opportunity).
3. You want your employee to take a class on Effective Presentations.
This class will help the employee enhance skills that will be useful
during job interviews (career related opportunity).
4. You want your employee to train other employees. This assignment
will enhance her or his credibility as a Subject Matter Expert (career
related opportunity).
5.
You want your employee to participate in a charity event for the
organization. One of the major event activities will involve
interviewing key leaders in the organization (career related
opportunity).
This approach is about explaining to employees how their performance
or participation can lead to greater visibility, more recognition, or
additional career related skills. And while you are not saying to the
employee, This assignment or activity will lead to a promotion. You are saying, This assignment or activity will offer you a valuable career related experience.
Believe it or not, employees will appreciate the fact that you are
focusing on their career interests. Too many times managers remain
silent when promotions are not possible. In those instances, employees
become frustrated and stop doing their best work. The most talented
employees leave for greener pastures.
By using this approach, you at least let employees know that you care
about their careers. You also move the focus away from getting a
promotion as the only solution to career advancement. Instead, you help
employees see that they can still have some valuable career related
experiences. This way, they are working on their careers and working
toward a promotion. Try it and see what happens.
By Barbara Brown, PhD
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