As a leader within your organization, you are tasked with many responsibilities, arguably none more important than selecting and even mentoring future leaders to positively impact the future.  This task can often be met with challenges in determining how best to narrow the field among those most qualified and those who have demonstrated loyalty to the company through years of service. To be clear, this article is not intended to make sweeping judgements based on age, longevity or any other factor….it simply stands to reinforce identifying the most qualified person for a position regardless of any other pre-conceived factors surrounding age or experience. 

 Before we delve too far into discerning the differences it is probably best to state the obvious: 

“Regardless of age or experience, Leaders Must Lead….. and in order to lead, one must deserve to be followed.”

It is true that loyalty is a two-way street and certainly one of the most defining attributes to the success of healthy personal relationships as well as those of successful organizations. As a matter of professional development, let’s focus on the latter. Loyalty can and should be rewarded regularly within companies who aspire to cultivate a thriving culture among all employees.  Service or anniversary recognition awards are an important part of helping employees feel appreciated for their contributions to the company’s ongoing success. Firms that fail to understand this simple truth may find themselves dealing with excessive employee turnover.  Turnover is disruptive to the business and certainly can adversely impact customer service and the company’s image.  Moreover, high employee turnover is costly to companies and those charged with leading an organization must place a high value on employee development and ultimately retention.

Loyalty should not however be confused with a “rite of passage” mindset for awarding promotions or new leadership assignments if an employee is not best suited or qualified for the position relative to other candidates.  As a leader in an organization, it is your responsibility to harvest the best candidates from a field of prospects either internally at your firm or externally in the marketplace, to fulfill the duties associated with the position being offered.

Certainly, employees or applicants with specific experience or knowledge relative to the scope of the job are of high priority to screen when vetting candidates.  With that said, it can be a mistake to confuse duty or years of service with the ability to lead or manage.  If you are a seasoned leader, it is highly probable that you have experienced a scenario in your past where tenure was chosen as a default for an open position only to learn that this selection did not ultimately work out due to other important factors associated with the job.  While this can be a common mistake made by leaders, it should serve as a learning experience to avoid repeating it in the future.  I can personally attest to making this error when selecting a candidate for a promotion in my former company.  Some may say it was “heart over head,” but in reality, in that particular situation, I felt that seniority would translate into respect among subordinates...I was wrong.  After all, years of service do not always equate to leadership experience or ability, and it certainly doesn’t guarantee a following among fellow peers. Respect is always earned through demonstrating vital qualities such as talent, work ethic, teamwork, humility and certainly attitude...regardless of longevity.  Employees want to be coached, mentored and led by managers and leaders who have demonstrated the skills necessary to successfully place them in the role they are being asked to fulfill. Failing to find that leader can result in teams that become dysfunctional, discontent and highly disengaged from the company’s plans for the future.

Though it is often true that less experienced employees may lack specific organizational knowledge or have the depth of years to draw from….it may also be true that the most tenured employees may not always demonstrate the skills nor have the specific qualifications or personal aptitude for the position.  Don’t bypass younger, less experienced employees in the process when forming a decision to promote or hire.  It can be misleading to presume that they may not have the experience necessary to draw upon when in fact they may be more skilled, more qualified and even more relatable to the team given the nature of the position and what is needed within the role being offered.  Avoid being a leader that opts for the easier, quicker decision to place a long-standing employee in a new leadership position without truly understanding the potential implications to that employee’s individual success as well as those with whom they will be leading. If failure follows, the long walk back to a previous position held can be humiliating or even unrepairable. If an existing employee is being considered for a new role, then it is wise to take the same steps in vetting the applicant as one would for a potential recruit being pursued outside the firm.

Regardless of age, experience or tenure, all newly appointed leaders will be scrutinized internally by fellow employees and externally by customers, suppliers and others who will inhabit their circle of influence.  With this in mind, developing processes to openly pursue talent and recruit from both within and outside the organization are not only necessary, but essential to building greater transparency among employees and stakeholders.  Some specific ways to consider achieving this in your organization are:

• Be intentional and communicate openly with those individuals within your organization who possess the skills, work ethic and aptitude for a future leadership role.   Ask direct questions when engaging with them as to their aspirations and career goals.  Do they see themselves as leaders?

• Make no future promises about specific jobs or roles, but rather develop an open ongoing dialogue surrounding the possibilities.  Both parties will benefit from the exchanges that occur which will inevitably touch personal experiences, directives and future organizational growth initiatives. Communicate openly and continuously.

• Don’t be afraid to “set the table” by placing an employee who is being screened for a future leadership role in situations, meetings or projects which can provide helpful feedback in testing their skills and communication style.

• Continuous Recruitment outside the organization is important if seeking to find and validate the best person for the job.  Though promoting from within the firm is always rewarding, it may not always be the right decision.  This can be true when new perspectives or outside experiences are desired to support strategic initiatives.  Seek to schedule ongoing interviews or opportunities to socialize with potential candidates to keep your pipeline current. These are not necessary interviews but rather relationship building opportunities to explore future compatibility and alignment together.

• Invest and Develop. Seek out educational learning opportunities for senior executives as well as next level leaders. Engage with experienced outside professionals.  The return on investment is a force multiplier.  Align with elite practitioners who can bring proven outside experience to the table and work with your team to enhance accountability and performance.

If you think you’re ready to take the next step, then let’s go! 

Victory Strategies (www.victory-strategies.com) would love to help you along your journey to success.  We are a team of experienced leaders who stand ready to assist with proven services such as Assessment Tools, In-person and Online Leadership Development Training, Executive Coaching and Team Building Engagements. We customize our services to meet the specific needs of our teammates…driving performance and elevating organizational success.

Authored by: Kelly Evans, Director