The pros and cons of promoting from within - Folio: Special Sourcebook Issue 1998

You've probably heard of the Peter Principle, which argues that all managers are eventually promoted one step higher than their level of competence. Nowhere, it seems, is this theory more relevant than in publishing:We all know plenty of people to whom it applies (ourselves being the exceptions, of course).

But conceptually, it makes good sense as well:We all possess certain talents and interests that will help drive us up the corporate ladder in our own selected area of expertise, until we finally climb past that point of maximum usefulness and into the (initially) heady realms of management. Suddenly, we are expected to become experts in all manner of strange disciplines, and the fun really begins: A great investigative journalist will often make a terrible editor, an outstanding media rep may fail dismally as a sales manager, and the world's best production director could likewise flounder if promoted to publisher.

What makes the problem worse is that it's neither predictable nor universal. Some specialists can readily adapt to new disciplines. But there are also plenty who can't make the transition.

So what does this mean for management planning at your company? Should you promote from within? Or should you hire equivalent-level managers from competitors, or perhaps from other industries altogether? Can the problem be solved with enough training and guidance?

There's no handy formula that guarantees to solve these sorts of dilemmas: The answers will ultimately depend on the position and/or candidate under consideration. That said, the following suggestions should at least improve your chances of finding the right person for the job.

Never assume. In your periodic staff reviews, try to find out what really motivates your employees: Who's really there for the money, and which have management ambitions in their eyes? Promotions may sometimes be carried out with the best of intentions -- and who wouldn't be flattered to be asked? But never assume that this is what a person is truly looking for in his or her job.

Beware the specialist. The more enthusiastic a person is about his or her particular field of expertise, the less likely that person is to adapt quickly and easily to general management. That's why the best investigative journalists generally make the worst editors, and the most productive sales rep will often prove a dud sales manager. Reward these people financially, laud their achievements, and give them ad hoc training roles within the company -- but for God's sake, don't promote them away from what they do best.

Create internal structures. Another option might be to create internal structures that "move" your best specialists up in the hierarchy, but without materially changing their job descriptions. Examples of such "promotion alternative strategies" include improved working conditions for senior sales reps, journalists, artists, etc.; a graded system of job titles -- e.g., from "features writer" to "senior feature writer"; or periodic recognition of outstanding work -- which, of course, you should be doing anyway!

All this leads to the difficult question of how to identify which specialists may be suited to wider roles within the company. In my experience, these people eventually make themselves known to the keen-eyed manager, if only by accident. A journalist will provide the lead for a new advertiser or the germ of an idea for a new subscription drive. A sales rep will come up with some good story ideas for the monthly editorial meeting. Or a production assistant will ask if she can try writing a news or feature item in her spare time. The signs are usually there if you choose to see them.

Forget the vision thing. Truly visionary managers are the exception rather than the rule. And often vision comes with experience, anyway. So don't rule out a candidate just because he or she doesn't vet know where publishing will be in 10 years and how to get there.

Analyze their relationships. Value organizational and people skills above all else. In its simplest form, management is about planning change and then coordinating its implementation. As a result, the most successful managers are generally those with the ability to identify subordinates' strengths and weaknesses, and then inspire them to achieve their potential in the context of the company's objectives. Therefore, keep a close eye on how potential managers relate to their fellow employees, and whether they have shown themselves keen to take leadership roles -- even if it's only shouldering the burden of organizing the departmental Christmas party!

Don't scrimp on training. In the continuing effort to boost a bottom line, training budgets are often a convenient scapegoat. But to avoid sacrificing long-term profits for short-term results, you must make sure potential managers receive the training they need to fulfill their own potential and (subsequently) that of their underlings.

There's a big difference between carrying out a task and doing it well. Effective training -- preferably performed by someone outside the political and cultural environment of your own company -- should be designed to educate and stimulate potential managers to achieve their personal best.

Maturity matters. Any manager must have the emotional maturity to deal with his or her new role. (And this should never be confused with age -- much of the time these two concepts have little in common.) Management involves a high degree of confidentiality, self-assurance, tact, social skill and (perhaps most important) a willingness to make tough decisions. Ensure that your candidate is up to it.

Take a holiday. or attend a conference -- anything that gets you out of the office for a while and lets you try out potential managers in acting roles. Nothing proves a person's worth better than throwing him in the deep end -- assuming, of course, that there's someone to keep a quiet lookout in case he starts drowning!

Another approach is to give your potential managers special projects to work on that are outside their areas of expertise. First, this will show them that you're taking their ambitions seriously and, second, it should provide you with an excellent idea of their skills, capabilities and versatility.

If necessary, look outside. Okay, so this time there's really no one internally who's up to filling the current management vacancy. What now? Despite all the obvious advantages of hiring a direct competitor, I think this course of action can often lead to huge credibility problems with advertisers, readers and other staff. For a management role, I would rather hire someone from a non-related publishing sector. Another approach is to seek someone who's strong in areas where you are weak or that you have yet to exploit (e.g., multimedia).

Check references. Although the required attributes for outside candidates are largely the same as for internal candidates, you will need to carry out thorough reference checks on leading contenders to compensate for not having enjoyed direct prior contact.

Written references should be treated with some skepticism. It's much better, if you can, to ask previous employers specific questions -- for example, "Can you give me an example of how Mr./Ms. Smith has led a successful project? "or "In what areas do you think that he/she may require some supervision and/or improvement?"

Think laterally. Finally, don't be afraid to think outside the box by looking at managers from other disciplines; if you restrict yourself to management with publishing experience, you'll be severely restricting the available pool of candidates. In functional roles, industry expertise is obviously critical -- but when it comes to management, that kind of knowledge really takes a back seat to the candidate's ability to interpret, innovate, inspire and implement.

James Parker publishes several business and consumer titles, including Packaging News, Inside Dining and Dance Australia, for the Surry Hills, Australia-based Yaffa Publishing Group.

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