When You Hear That “Promote-Me” Drumbeat

No matter how much change occurs in the workplace, the same questions persist on the matter of promotions: Who? When?

Hopefully, most of the time, promotions happen according to the needs of the organization. But sometimes, things are pushed along by the actions — some subtle and others not-so-subtle — of associates with a more personal agenda.

Have you ever noticed that it’s not always the most deserving person who gets the promotion? That’s because some people have a skill separate and apart from the other skills required to work in the organization. Not all people who are great at their jobs have that skill, and not all those who have it are great at their jobs.

It’s a special skill all its own. You know it when you see it. It’s usually possessed by a valued employee, doing good enough work but who, for some reason, also has a knack for getting promoted before others equally qualified. By the time this person arrives on your team, he or she may have already been successful at pushing the buttons of people at senior levels to make it happen a few times.

This person creates an incessant drumbeat that often reverberates in all corners of the organization, and promises not to let up until the promotion happens. It might take one or a combination of these forms:

• The Direct Ask: “What do I have to do to get to the next level?”
• The Sidewinder: “I’d like to talk about my career path?”
• The Guilt-Tripper: “I’ve been at this level for quite some time.”
• The Appeal To Fairness/Equality: “Now that Bob’s been promoted, it should be my time next, right?”
• The Quid Pro Quo: “Assuming I bring this project in on time and on budget, will that justify moving me to the next level?”
• The “Stick-up:” “Unless I get promoted before the end of the year, I’m going to have to look for other opportunities outside the company.”

Often, the person will go around you to other members of management — your boss or peers — hoping they’ll put some pressure on you.

You may believe your only options are to either try to ignore it or give in and promote the person just to make the noise stop so you can move on. But there are better options. Promotions based on this kind of pressure create bad feelings inside the team and can damage morale. And ignoring it won’t make it go away.

So it’s important to get out in front of the problem before it happens. Make these guidelines clear to everyone about what a promotion is — and isn’t:

• A promotion never rises to the level of an entitlement, no matter what.
• It is not a reward for doing the job. It’s not even for superior or excellent work. Bonuses or incentive compensation arrangements are intended to handle that.
• It is for when an associate has shown the capability to handle additional responsibility in the form of a job with greater scope — bigger deliverables, more staff, bigger budgets — if and when such a job is open in the organization and for which the associate is qualified by skills, experience and education. Benchmarking of jobs across the company and across your industry provides guidelines for matching job level to job scope, but in the end it’s up to you to set reasonable expectations for your team about how and when it happens.
• A promotion is at the discretion of management, and decisions about whom to promote and when are made according to the needs of the organization.

This message ought to be included as a regular and routine part of management communication, rather than deferred till it’s needed as a special or emergency communication in response to a specific situation.

When you start to “hear the drum,” if it supports what you’ve already decided is in the best interests of the company and everyone involved, it may just be a sign that the promotion you’re planning will be warmly received. But if not, pause and gently remind everyone about the guidelines and the importance of keeping the focus on the needs of customers and the organization.