Promotion tops death, divorce and moving
by Miki SaxonBusiness Week’s UpFront grab bag of odds and ends always makes for fascinating reading; the following bit is a devastating comment on the corporate cultures responsible for propagating these stats.
“For some, climbing the corporate ladder brings on vertigo. In a recent survey, nearly one in five managers ranked getting a promotion as their most challenging life event. One big reason, say researchers at Development Dimensions International, which conducted the poll of 785 business leaders, is that 40% of managers get little or no support as they enter their new jobs, according to the survey. “It’s sink or swim,” says Matthew Paese, vice-president at the Bridgeville (Pa.)-based human resources consulting firm. Even more managers may express such fears in the near future, says Paese, as many baby boomers retire and leave an even bigger mentoring void for executives on the move.
The business leaders surveyed by DDI ranged from line supervisory staff to those in executive suites, including 400 managers outside the U.S. Promotion was ranked as “most challenging” by 19% of respondents, followed by bereavement (15%), divorce (11%), moving (10%), and managing teenage children (9%).”
By Joseph Weber (link unavailable; Bloomberg has a lousy site search)
It’s incongruous that the same companies that invest millions recruiting highly educated, talented people at all levels then squander the resource by assuming they can progress to the next level on their own.
Most people learn to manage by watching/copying the managers they work for along the way.
Sadly, too many of those are best summed up in a quote from His Burial Too (1973), by Catherine Aird, “If you can’t be a good example, you’ll just have to be a horrible warning.”
I remember one talented manager who said that his success came from doing the exact opposite of what was done to him by many different managers during his 12-year tenure at one company.
He wasn’t exaggerating, the company was known for its toxic culture and management, but was a great place for recruiting talented staff.
No matter if you’re CEO, department head or just manage a small group, you first need to discover whether you’re a good example or a horrible warning.
How? Look at two stats, productivity and retention.
If they’re both high, you’re a good example. If the reverse, then you need to decide if you want to stay a horrible warning or change.
The basis for either is in your MAP and, as with everything based in MAP, it’s your choice.
