Test employees
The lack of a new title was one of the first but also most important ways Bianconi could ease the pressure on employees who were being eyed for a promotion. They would experience the position and learn the ins and outs of how to do it, but they would still hold their current title.
“Before we give them the title and complete responsibility of that area, we give them a lot of the roles and duties that they need to perform,” Bianconi says.
“We first give them a test and see how they do. This has proven to be very valuable and effective for us. It ensures that, ultimately, when the decision is made, instead of making them an interim manager, they become a permanent manager. We know they have already done the tasks and proven they can ha
ndle the situation.”
If they aren’t able to handle the new job, little has been lost and no demotion is necessary. The employee simply continues with what he or she had been doing.
The removal of that risk and pressure is one of the keys to helping employees get over the hump of an advancement.
“People are going to make mistakes,” Bianconi says. “I always talk about good mistakes and bad mistakes. Good mistakes are actions that have undesirable outcomes, but given the same information you had, anyone in the normal state of mind would have made that same decision. That’s a good mistake. You learn from that. You never go out of business by making good mistakes. Bad mistakes on the other hand are actions that people take that are done without any kind of good intent or knowledge base. It’s just kind of like throwing darts. Those are bad mistakes, and we certainly don’t want those to happen.”
The idea that you are working for your employees and are available to provide them with support and the tools they need to succeed is one that Bianconi says cannot be delivered too many times.
“You have to start by giving people the freedom to take risks, risks without retribution,” Bianconi says. “I’m going to take a risk and put myself in a position to make good mistakes and learn from that. That’s a first step. Part of that has to do with delegating and making people feel that they make a difference. I don’t make a difference, you make a difference, and we collectively can do something that is very good.”
So when you approach your employees about taking on a new position, make it clear that it’s an opportunity that you’re just as curious and excited about as the employee.
“First, you want to ask the person, ‘Are you interested? We’re interested in you. Are you interested in this?’” Bianconi says. “‘Here are the game rules, and here’s what we’re trying to do. We want to give you an opportunity to go in there and try this. Tell me what you think.’”
As the employee begins to learn about the new position, don’t feel as if you need to throw him or her curveballs to see how the employee might respond. The regular business world will probably provide plenty of those.
“We don’t want to make life any more difficult,” Bianconi says. “You might ruin a perfectly good person by throwing stuff at them. It’s all about fundamentals. If they can’t handle the fundamentals, all those specialty things, they aren’t going to matter.”
And when you’re assessing the employee’s performance, don’t just study the individual. Look at the people he or she is working with and see how they respond.
“Look at who it is they are leading,” Bianconi says. “You can get a good grasp on how these people are responding to this person in this new capacity.”
Just because you’re not giving the person a new title in their audition for a new job, that doesn’t mean you keep it secret. You want to be clear with everyone about what they are doing so they can offer their support.
You also want the promotion candidate to know that either you or their direct supervisor is there to offer support whenever it’s needed.
“People want to know, ‘How am I doing? Am I doing what I’m supposed to do?’” Bianconi says. “Many companies don’t tell people what they are supposed to do, they just presume people know. And they don’t tell them how they are doing so they don’t even know what they are supposed to do.
“You don’t just sit down and talk to people when they are doing something wrong; you talk to them when they are doing things right. That way, when they are doing something wrong, I don’t get intimidated by the fact that you’re sitting down with me and telling me I’m doing something wrong. … If the only time I sat down with somebody was when they did something wrong, they’re going to think they do everything wrong. It’s a process. You have to mentor and lead them through the process.”
How to reach: Progressive Medical Inc., (614) 794-3300 or www.progressive-medical.com
