How to promote technical people

Promotions, when done right, can lead to an immense sense of satisfaction for an individual and drive personal and business growth. When done poorly however, promoting the wrong person can destroy productivity, demoralise teams and jeopardise business success.

Before you leap to promote someone, pause to think about their motivation and acknowledge that them moving up the career ladder requires a firm commitment from you and the aspiring technical team member to validate they are ready to take on more responsibility.

Don't play favourites

If you are fortunate enough, there will be people in the team who get on really well with you and others and have a propensity to Get Things Done. These people will often put their hand up to take on new projects or learn new technologies. If you continually favour these people, others in the team may get crowded out and see you as playing favourites.

Avoid overlooking the more reserved team members by doing a pulse check to see what their career goals are. Quiet achievers may have talent or ambitions that are not obvious.

Competency Framework

Resist the temptation of using fuzzy logic to determine whether someone is ready for a promotion. You need to rely on a Competency Framework which outlines the technical, behavioural and leadership qualities required for each level of their role. Ensure you have baselined their current skills and that both parties agree on this. Competency frameworks should be accessible by all staff to ensure transparency and create a shared understanding of what is expected for a given level of experience.

If you don't have a Competency Framework, immediately set to work on creating one as this will be useful for job sizing and hiring. Align the competency framework to remuneration bands.

Assignment Brief

Promotions should be earned, not handed out on a whim. Set a very specific goal or deliverables with a timeframe and provide all the necessary support to help the individual succeed. You need to push people outside their comfort zone but don't throw them in the deep end. Document the stretch goal and what is expected using an Assignment Brief that serves as a reference for validation once completed. I have found a duration of between three to nine months combined with regular informal check-ins provides enough opportunity to provide feedback and fine-tune mentoring.

Make sure you include a "break glass in case of emergency" hammer for the individual if you both agree things aren't working out. It's better to pause and re-assess than to pursue the assignment in vain.

Internal messaging

Assuming you and your protege have reviewed the Assignment Brief and agreed the goals have been met, it's time to formalise the promotion and align remuneration. Provide a revised Position Description to be signed and once formal paperwork has been completed, announce the promotion to the immediate team verbally. You can then advise a wider group via email or an all-hands meeting. Do this without causing embarrassment for the individual as those who are introverts do not like being made the centre of attention.

After the promotion

Taking on more responsiblity can result in increased stress. An increase in stress can cause toxic behaviours to emerge and make people extremely difficult to work with. Following a promotion, you need to keep a close eye on the individual and let them know you are there to provide support. If they approach you stating they no longer want the increased responsibility, move them on to something that allows them to retain their dignity and continue adding value to the company.

I cannot stress this enough and it does happen despite best efforts; the cost of promoting the wrong person to leading a team can absolutely destroy morale and productivity. Do not delay, do not ruminate; take your learnings and fine-tune the promotion process.

Concluding thoughts

Every promotion in your company is something to be celebrated. It can motivate individuals, teams and deliver phenomenal business outcomes. Let's face it, everyone wants to work for a company that provides opportunities for growth.

In an era where there is a war for talent, if you don't offer employees a career path and opportunities to increase their earnings, don't be surprised if you see them leaving to join companies that do. If you have trouble attracting talent, ask yourself, how are you selling career development as part of your recruitment processes?

What are you waiting for? Don't delay, get started with this on your team.

Footnote: This post was originally written with software engineers in mind but I think it applies equally to almost any competency in a (technology) company.