How to Develop Your Best Employees into Successful Managers

It’s a bit of a catch-22. A star employee who completes his or her tasks with dedication and an exemplary level of quality is ready for a promotion. After all, that’s how companies traditionally reward excellent performance. But those skills that make this employee a great worker may not be translatable to the next rung on the corporate ladder, at least not without some help.

Management positions often require big-picture thinking rather than detailed task completion; they may require people skills, patience, and leadership, which are not necessarily developed on the job, nor do they come naturally to some star performers.

For example, the traits that make someone a great salesperson such as assertiveness, courage, results focus, and high energy are all excellent skills to bring to a leadership position. But can that particular individual also manage a budget? Develop great advertising campaigns? Motivate their team when they’re in a slump? Brainstorm solutions to client problems? Hire and fire the right people? Abandon the 9-to-5 mentality to put in the extra hours needed? Be committed to reaching all company goals, not just personal commission thresholds?

The first step before promoting individuals is to assess whether they can make the transition from task orientation to management. And more important, you need to know whether they want to be managers. If they don’t want that particular promotion, consider other ways to reward good work that doesn’t put performance or job satisfaction at risk.

Here’s an example. A reporter at a newspaper works hard, always turns in excellent work, and digs up great stories by spending hours in the field. He loves his job, but he’s not fond of the company-mandated meetings, the paperwork he must do to complete his expense reports, or “answering to authority.” Nonetheless, his manager wants to reward him for his skills and dedication; so he offers him an editor position, the next logical step on the corporate ladder. But this requires that this independent, self-motivated individual who loves reporting and writing spend much more time in the office, manage other employees, report regularly to the corporate office, and pretty much stop writing altogether. While he thought he wanted to be promoted to editor, he was miserable in the job and within a few months returned to reporting.

In many cases, though, star employees are ready for a new challenge. Make the transition smooth and set up the employees for success in their new roles by giving them the skills they need and supporting them as they learn their new jobs. Here are several ways to help them succeed:

• Promote for the right reasons: As noted, not all great performers are management material. Potential managers should show interest in taking a leadership role, not just be good at their current jobs.
• Communicate constantly: Tell the newly promoted manager what your expectations are, how to achieve those expectations, and the parameters for success. Set short-term and long-term goals and follow up on them. Explain the manager’s new role in regard to his or her former peers (who may now be direct reports).
• Be visibly and actively supportive: This will help smooth the transition.
• Encourage innovation, creative problem solving, and self-motivation: Also encourage the employee to seek help when necessary.
• Provide corporate boot camp: Rank-and-file employees may not see the company’s overarching goals and how a manager’s role helps achieve them. Give promoted managers a good overview of the company and how they fit into the big picture.
• Provide plenty of support: Assign a mentor at the same level, or higher, in the hierarchy. New managers are often afraid to ask for help because they fear it will make them look unqualified. Instead of waiting for your new manager to a) fail, or b) ask for help, have an active, engaged mentor check in weekly during the first six months.

Above all, practice patience. Remember that it takes a long time to learn a new job. Your star performer may need longer than you think to excel in his new position. If you provide support and training, your new manager will thrive.