The Reality of Hierarchies

The values of an organization can be measured by looking at what type of employee is routinely promoted. Managers send unintended messages to the entire organization by who they choose to heavily promote. If we can identify those who have been heavily promoted we can see what type of behaviors leadership wants. The good the bad the ugly is summarized in these employees’ behaviors, styles and attitudes.

If we organize ourselves based on hierarchy and if we allow people to climb to higher ranks in this hierarchy. There will be unintended consequences that we are good to understand.

I’m not talking about the routine promotions that most professionals can expect. I am talking about those who are heavily promoted, those whose careers seem to skyrocket through the company. The truth is some people do deserve to be heavily promoted.  Reserve judgment about a person’s worthiness of the promotion or its fairness for a moment. If we can objectively look at the promotion and the person’s behavior we can learn about our leadership.

Emulating Management

Those in the organization who are ambitious and want promotion will usually emulate many of the behaviors of those who hold power. For good or for bad.

Have those heavily promoted achieved their promotions by strong performance? by skillful politicking? secretiveness? credit stealing with backstabbing? all of the above? Get to know these people and determine if their behavior is something you are able or willing to emulate.

Is their behavior selfish and indifferent to what is best for the organization?  Are they helpful and supportive of junior employees or just their own tight circle of friends? Evaluate this because if you want to do well at an organization you’ll need to emulate some of their behaviors.

When a company promotes someone to more responsibility and more salary they also are promoting their behavior. When talk about values does not match the behaviors of leadership spoken values are seen as irrelevant, “save your breath”. Especially if we promote employees who have openly ignored the same values we say we expect.

Expect more from those you promote, we should not send one message through policy and another through promotion messages. I believe that the messages sent through promotion send even stronger messages to everyone than those verbalized at meetings. Promotions have money and rank attached, meeting-talk can be seen as obligatory rhetoric.

Should Performance in One Area Excuse Bad Behavior in Other Areas?

I once was speaking with a colleague about the behavior of a certain colleague which was affecting our project negatively. He was dismissive and almost excusing of the bad behavior because “he performed well”.  He was referring only to his technical abilities and was excusing his unwillingness to cooperate with others.

When leaders promote they send a message to the employee that they promoted and to everyone watching. That message is “well done, this is how I want you (and therefore everyone) to behave!” They say this whether they realize it or not. Often bad behavior is intentionally hidden from those doing the promoting, they do not necessarily intend to send mixed messages.

If an organization is chronically unhealthy to the point of affecting long-term performance. Perhaps look for unintended messages from promotions in the past. Analyze the messages sent and begin to reconsider the behaviors expected in those we promote.

For more on this topic see a similar article here.

For more on this and similar topics read Patrick Lencioni’s book The Advantage.

Have You Noticed Unintended Messages Given By Promotions?