The transition from staff member to manager requires an employee to develop a new skill set, which should not be expected to materialize immediately upon promotion. Rather, companies should include in their business plans an investment in training.
Front-line workers commonly move into management because they are "great at the job." But excelling on the front line does not guarantee excellence as a supervisor. It takes preparation, training, an interest in the position and the right tools. Newly promoted supervisors must carry over the skills that first got them noticed, plus develop a new range of abilities.
Supervisory duties include:
- Leading a team instead of participating in one
- Solving problems previously referred to the supervisor
- Enforcing company policies and regulations
- Hiring, training and coaching new employees
- Developing the skills of seasoned workers
- Handling inventory and cash counts
- Providing constructive feedback to former peers and applying progressive discipline if necessary
- Treating everyone fairly and equally
- Providing leadership to senior employees who also may have applied for the job
- Earning respect and trust from the team now under their supervision
Pulling these elements together and grooming a new supervisor requires training and leadership. Otherwise, you are probably setting up your new supervisor to fail. Having made the decision to promote, you must make the investment to develop and continue developing over time.
A case study from Coast Hotels & Resorts
Coast Hotels & Resorts has done a good job of implementing a comprehensive management-training program. In a bid to prepare its employees for leadership roles, the company has implemented a “continuous learner” training model, which is based on three equally important elements: education, experience and personal development.
The foundation of this training begins with solid orientation, which helps employees, known internally as ambassadors, to develop the core skills they will need to provide a positive experience for guests. “At this level our ambassadors receive technical training, customer-service training and performance-expectation skills training,” says Lissa-Maria Pietracupa, Coast's vice-president of people and culture.
But training should not end with orientation; organizations should implement ongoing training, which focuses on the further development of leadership skills. Employees of Coast Hotels & Resorts who wish to continue to progress in their careers move into a “Leadership Development” series that focuses on management, business and leadership skills training.
Organizations should also consider encouraging employees to attend external training seminars or by reimbursing tuition for college courses. The initial output will pay dividends as employees appreciate learning new skills and bring those assets to work on a daily basis.
Coast Hotels & Resorts has also implemented an “Advanced Leadership Development” series, which teaches strategic thinking and enhances performance development through personality profiling. At this level, individuals also have the opportunity to complete additional college or university education.
Many advantages result from internal promotion. Former front-line workers can more easily empathize with the challenges faced by their team members and can readily relate to the day-to-day responsibilities undertaken by their staff.
Managers promoted internally are also assets because they are the keepers of corporate memory, and thus can impart to new hires their in-depth understanding of company culture and values.
Employee development should be viewed as a long-term investment. Employees will interpret this investment as a commitment, which will in turn foster staff loyalty and retention.
“We have one hotel manager who started off as a bellman. Through successful opportunities to take on more responsibilities, combined with his passion for continuous learning (he has recently completed his MBA), our one-time bellman now runs one of the largest hotels in the chain,” says Pietracupa.
