Business leaders need to rethink the linear track that most employees are on, which is that career progression doesn’t always mean that people are destined to lead teams. An extremely high performer may not necessarily be a great manager. Just look at Michael Jordan, who many consider the greatest basketball player ever but a very poor to mediocre principal owner and chairman of the Charlotte Hornets.
What it comes down to is leaders need to assign their people to play the right positions. You don’t want your quarterback to be the field goal kicker. Thrusting someone into a management role creates an expectation that they need to adopt and demonstrate leadership qualities to move upward in earning additional responsibilities and compensation. The danger is that it can cause companies to push really good or loyal employees into the wrong role without taking into consideration their skillset or whether they even want to manage in the first place. This could be harmful to other employees who might be working under someone who just isn’t effective or experienced enough.
The challenge is that businesses need to examine innovative ways to develop, elevate and retain talent vs. following the same old cookie-cutter approach to career progression. While it’s important to identify potential leaders or managers, organizations also need to create a realistic and appealing path for high-performing contributors who have many different skills and are vital but perhaps just don’t have a managerial skillset or the desire to pursue that goal.
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