4 Massive Mistakes Many Companies Make When Promoting New ManagersA person who is very good at her job is not automatically going to be equally good supervising other people doing that job.

ByShawn Doyle

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Thomas Barwick | Getty Images

Imani was really great at customer service. Everyone viewed her as a superstar. Coworkers, customers and management loved working with her. She had a giant fan club in the company. When one of the leaders of the company left to pursue other opportunities, management decided to make Imani a supervisor. She was promoted and overnight had a small army of 16 people reporting to her. Imani was delighted to be so well regarded and to get promoted, but she was nervous because she had no management experience. She mentioned it to her boss one day and her boss said "Oh Imani, don't you worry, you are going to do a great job." Within two weeks she felt very overwhelmed and wasn't sure if the company had made the right choice. Maybe promoting her was a big, stupid mistake. She was a nervous wreck and wasn't sure if she was going to make it.

Related:Invest in Your Business by Developing Leaders From Within

The scenario above is fictional, but it's based on many real scenarios I have observed with my clients. Unfortunately, it's very common. There are some massive mistakes companies are making about management, which leads to miscommunication, conflict, poor morale, reduced productivity and high turnover. We are failing newly promoted managers in the following ways:

1. Promotion without training.

往往,我们促进有人因为它们technically competent, but it doesn't necessarily mean they know how to lead. Just because someone was good at selling something doesn't mean they will be a good sales manager. Just because they were good at IT, doesn't mean they will be a great IT manager. Star quarterbacks don't always make great coaches. Any team member who gets promoted to a leadership role should be taught all the critical leadership skills they will need. If we don't, we are throwing them into the pool and expecting them to know how to swim. That is very unfair to them and to the people that report to them every day.

Related:4 Signs It's Time to Let That High-Potential Employee Go

2. Not developing them all along.

In the case study above, if the company thought Imani was going to be a future leader, they should have already had her in a leadership development program or had her working with a mentor to get her ready for the future. Companies should have a process in place to identify, coach and train people -- to groom them for future opportunities and build bench strength of future leadership talent. Senior leadership should work carefully with HR, training and operations to fill the talent pool.

3. Not discussing it.

In every organization, I believe that beyond the performance review there should be a separate meeting for every team member to discuss their career goals with their manager. It is sad, but this discussion almost never happens in organizations. There is not time, effort or commitment made to this process that is so important. This discussion helps organizations identify who is interested in being in a leadership role and who isn't. The discussion about leadership and a future management role should not be a mystery or cloaked in secrecy. It should be an open, honest and frank discussion about their goals short, mid- and long-term. The manager should then commit to helping them get where they want to go through training, development, experience or stretch assignments.

Related:Master These 6 Coaching Skills to Lead Your Team Where They've Never Dared Go

4. Not making leadership development the responsibility of all leaders.

Many leaders don't do this because they don't have time and are extremely busy. They may also be threatened by people who report to them developing and surpassing them. I think it should be the responsibility and expectation of all leaders to develop future leaders of the company. How many companies set this as an expectation? Almost none that I know of or work with around the country. Leadership development is not part of the leaders' performance reviews or part of leaders' objectives, but it should be. People in a leadership role should be tasked with developing and fostering talent and building leadership bench strength. The future of the company depends on having great leaders to lead growth, to drive results, sales and productivity.

As Jack Welch once said "Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others."

Shawn Doyle

President, New Light Learning and Development Inc.

Shawn Doyleis a professional speaker, author and executive coach. He is the president of New Light Learning & Development, a company that specializes in training and leadership-development programs.

Editor's Pick

Related Topics

领导

We Know Return to Office Mandates Backfire — So Why Are Tech Giants Like Amazon, IBM and Zoom Reinstating This Outdated Policy?

In a landscape where innovation is the ultimate currency, why are tech giants like Amazon, IBM and Zoom clinging to outdated mandates?

Business Ideas

This Retiree's Yummy Hobby Is Now a Remote Side Hustle That Makes $250 an Hour: 'I Attached My Bank Account And the Money Just Flowed Automatically'

Since 1972, in his downtime, Bill Reichman has been dedicated to one delicious diversion. When the pandemic hit, he turned his passion into a lucrative side hustle. Here's how he did it.

Marketing

Supercharge Your Brand Awareness with These Game-Changing PR Tools

If you want a strong brand presence — and therefore more loyal customers — you need to unlock the power of two specific components of a public relations strategy.

Business News

McDonald's Employee Shoots, Kills 30-Year-Old Woman Following Dispute: 'Completely Senseless'

The victim has been identified as Jacklyn Marie Reed from Johnson City, Tennessee.

Devices

Tackle Work Tasks Anywhere With This Refurbished Chromebook, Now Just $50

Act fast to score a refurbished Chromebook before October 15.

Starting a Business

Unmasking The Truth Behind Spirit Halloween's Pop-Up Success

Spirit Halloween expects to hire 40,000 seasonal workers and a 'record number' of pop-up locations this year — but how? Pop-up stores are harder to run than you think. Before you get any ideas about launching a pop-up business of your own, let's talk about the real entrepreneurial risks that are scarier than your favorite Halloween horror.