How can feedback be used to prepare employees for promotion?

In my experience, you can most accurately identify potential when you make the effort to get to know the person, providing them a safe and consistently periodic arena to communicate with you. You get to know what they are aspiring to, what motives them and what turns them off. It does involve you making time and putting in effort to guide and provide the "right" sort of feedback (in a way that they will hear) that will align with their goals and give them the opportunity to respond.

Potential isn't just about current performance; it's about the capacity and eagerness to embrace new challenges, acquire new skills, and adapt to evolving scenarios. This can be spotted in the way employees execute their current responsibilities, respond to feedback, and display initiative. This insight allows you to offer tailored feedback that not only acknowledges their strengths but also pinpoints areas for development and future growth opportunities. Understanding and recognising potential is the cornerstone of effective employee development. It's about nurturing growth that aligns with both the individual's aspirations and the organisations needs.

A specific example of mentoring was in the first weeks with a small team of engineers. I still remember the feedback I got in the first 1:1 session with my manager/mentor - I needed to connect more with the team, share what I was working on, and call out when I needed help. This advice helped my set the right perspective for how I could both grow myself as well as accelerate the development output of the whole team. I have since focused on learning how to give and receive feedback and can recommend the book Thanks for the Feedback by Douglas sone & Sheila Heen as a great resource to learn more about the different types and motivations for giving feedback and how it can be received.

You excel when you get Feedback You improve your Preparation, Practice You improve your skills You research more on the Project, beneficiary etc It starts with taking the feedback. Categorize into 3 parts 1) What went well and you continue to do 2) What can be improved and can be better 3) What did not go well at all and needs a overall relook for better results Continue your Strengths -WELL- Wish to do, Enjoy doing, Like doing, Love doing Work to overcome Weakness- AWOID- Always wary of its Impact and Dent to confidence. All feedback are to be acted upon. Take guidance/Counselling/Coaching to overcome. Practice Practice till you get perfect. Achieve your Performance Objectives Bag your Dream Role/Position with Steep Hikes Cheers

It's super important to consider a few things when identifying potential: 1: Never judge a book by it's cover (only 5% of someone is conscious, and potential is primarily located in the remaining 95%) 2: Remember you have your own limits (so stay open minded to potential that you might not be aware of yet) 3: Consider their aspirations (you may see great potential in one area, however, their goals may not align with that. It's our role as a mentor to support them to nurture their own potential in alignment with their wants and desires)

The primary step to the growth of any employee is to look at their current state and explore ways for them to improve on that front. Is that easy? No, not really since it is not about telling but also about both sharing and accepting. I'll share my example of how I've been doing it for years. There is always an art and science connected to this. I always make it a point to have genuine and intentional observations about my team mates. All this is not with the lens of judgment but with the one that can help them uplift themselves in a variety of ways. This is the stage where I also learn about the kind of potential that they carry in themselves ;)

Asking people directly regarding their career aspirations is essential. Do not assume; do not infer. This gets the conversation started and helps you, as a leader, to identify the pathways to get the best outcome for those in your team.

Utilizar feedback de maneira estratégica é fundamental para preparar os funcionários para a promoção. Minha abordagem envolve fornecer feedback construtivo e específico, destacando não apenas as conquistas, mas também identificando áreas de desenvolvimento. Estabeleço metas claras e planos de ação, garantindo que o feedback seja uma ferramenta de capacitação. Além disso, encorajo a busca proativa por aprendizado e ofereço suporte contínuo, criando um caminho sólido para o progresso e o avanço profissional.

It is helpful to really know your employee - their strengths and limitations as well as areas of development - potential can be stated as "the sum of strengths less limitations, multiplied by area of development/opportunities" from this formula you know what your employee is capable of

1. Clear Career Roadmap: setting expectations is like having a GPS for your career journey. It provides a clear roadmap, helping you navigate towards promotion milestones and ensuring you’re always on the right track. 2. Alignment with Goals: expecations align your efforts with organizational goals. When you know what is expexted, you can channel your energy towards meeting and exceeding those expectations, paving the way for promotion success. 3. Employee Empowerment: clear expectations emplower employees. It provides a sense of direction, autonomy, and purpose, fostering a proactive and engaged workforce ready to conquer new challenges.

best way to set expectations is to be realistic about the job, not the job description, and the right match with the candidate, showing clearly the rules of engagement for the new position. once the rules are clear, both parties must agree on the milestones for the short and mid-term. the chances of success in this new chapter are very high if the company and the employee can be honest and open about this.

Ao estabelecer expectativas com os colaboradores, é essencial validar que estão claras e apoiar na construção correta destes objetivos, uma técnica que você pode utilizar é a SMART, validando com seu liderado se o objetivo é específico, mensurável, alcançável, relevante e com prazo específico para ser cumprido. A partir de expectativas e objetivos bem alinhados, você facilita a estrutura para o seu feedback em relação a eles e apoia seu liderado a ter clareza de como alcançar seus objetivos a cada etapa do processo.

It is necessary to have a good understanding of the requirements of the new role. It helps to have them written down and share them with the employee. Together with the employee you perform a gap analysis and identify the skills to work on for the promotion.

A melhor forma de estabelecer expectativas é deixando claro "as regras do jogo" da avaliação de performance. Abaixo exemplifico: - Qual a Frequência (semestral, anual)? - Quem será avaliado (todos os colaboradores ou apenas aqueles com determinados ranges de performance)? - Quais os critérios (competências) a serem discutidos? - Qual será a metodologia (feedbacks colhidos voluntariamente, avaliação 360 graus via sistema)? - Quais as skils necessárias para atingir o próximo passo de carreira (está discriminado, por exemplo, em uma trilha técnica)? Espero ter ajudado!

Setting expectations can be a tricky one. Leaders assume that the employee is attuned to the organization goals and fully endorse it. That may not be the case. People, they mature in the organization, can start to have a different view on how things could be achieved and may have aspirations for implementing the same. At this juncture, leaders are best advised to listen and understand before anything.

Many companies work with KPIs. Upfront and hopefully aligned with the worker. I advise to structure those in a talent evaluation sheet containing 2 parts: functional skills and behavorial skills. On functional skills, help the worker identify 1 skills with exceeds, 1 skills with meets, 1 skill with needs. And put an action plan with clear deadlines. Importantly, adding a part on how the manager can support this development to achieve objectives. On behavorial, the idea is not try to correct weaknesses, but to raise self-awareness. And to reinforce the core strength. On top, pick out 3 core values of the company and give focus by inviting the worker to reinforce one of them with a specific initiative. Redo this evaluation every 6 months.

The key value of feedback comes in when they are backed with setting up of appropriate expectations. This could be done in so many ways however the most important aspect is where they are and what can make things work for them. This means bringing reality factors alive for them in terms of what their objective should be and what all KPIs they need to drive and how they need to navigate through a variety of challenges that may come their way. Giving them clarity and support on a timely basis will work wonders towards building their right foundation!

Setting clear expectations is crucial in preparing employees for promotion. By outlining the specific skills, behaviors, and performance standards required for the next level, managers provide a transparent pathway for growth. This not only helps employees understand what is expected of them but also motivates them to develop the necessary competencies. Regular check-ins and constructive feedback ensure that employees stay on track and can adjust their efforts as needed, ultimately increasing their readiness for promotion.

Feedback is a stepping stone to your next level. The aim is to provide an insight into what sits behind behaviour. But in essence, it is often received as a negative interaction unless the intentions in the interactions are clearly defined. Think about the impact of not receiving feedback; you’ll never grow. We’ve all received feedback all our lives one way or another. If you ever receive negative feedback, turn this into an opportunity to learn a new skill, and if positive, ask yourself how you can I support others around me.

No one is perfect; feedback is golden because without it, we cannot improve and progress. How feedback is provided and thus received is super important. Communication is key!

This is one of the most essential area to uplift the team mate towards success 🚀 Getting to understand their strengths and weaknesses and helping them to work on those via timely support cannot be emphasized enough. The real support is when specific instances are picked up and identified measures are defined in terms of giving inputs that would help the individual to improve on the specifics. The relationship between the manager and team mate has to be one of mentor-mentee so that thoughts can be shared in a seamless manner. Ongoing engagement will also help in drawing inputs from a positive mindset and that can make all the difference 🙌

Provide training, mentorship or challenging tasks that directly fill in skill gaps that have been found. Help employees turn feedback into steps they can take by giving them personalised coaching or access to career development tools. Make it easier for people to get to internal networks, conferences or outside tools that can help them learn new things and improve their skills.

Having a positive relationship with leaders can be supportive to those moving up the ladder. Knowing a promotion is being offered and trust in the person is shown can do wonders for confidence and respect for the company.

Supporting employees for promotion involves providing clear pathways for growth, offering training and development opportunities, and maintaining open communication. It’s important to recognize their achievements, provide constructive feedback, and guide them in building necessary skills. Additionally, creating a supportive environment that encourages taking on new challenges can help employees prepare for higher roles. This approach not only aids in employee advancement but also contributes to a positive and productive workplace.

Tailor your support towards the individual and not the team!! As a leader, you must be emotionally intelligent to provide effective and meaningful support to those you lead. It is an important skill and measurement that defines who you are as a leader. Being a servant leader is an example of providing support to your team in a way that creates a trusting environment where feedback is a two-way conversation—evoking an atmosphere of positivity that motivates your employees and increases employee morale. The connection you build with each individual will foster an ecosystem of growth and development. You'll have respect from your team and encourage a coaching climate throughout the team.

An aspect of support that is not always highlighted, is around building a new "identity" as part of the new role. Sometimes, someone moves from a highly tactical role to a more strategic role, then feel that they are not creating enough value in the new role, and a sense of emptiness can settle in. And they can revert to previous behaviors that gave them a sense of fulfillment. e.g. a newly appointed Project Manager (who used to be a Software Developer) feels "empty" now that they are not producing much code. This can create a devaluation of the self because their new "identity" doesn't give them a sense of fulfillment (yet). So they tend to go back to coding, neglecting their PM responsibilities. Coaching usually helps with this.

This goes hand in hand with setting up expectations, that's why I'm including those words here. Remember, as an employer when you set up an expectation then you are duty bound to give your recruit the tools and resources as well as a platform to perform. You give a singer a microphone and ask him/her to dance, you'll end up getting a stand-up comedian. I believe, providing support is in fact crucial to employment. You give the necessary tools, set up a target and then you have the option to expect solid results.

Support is a continuous process. Encouragement is a mantra, providing the worker with a sense of purpose, pride and accomplishment. When things turn out wrongly, the worker is under pressure and that is the precise moment of truth when coaching stimulates progress. Rather than calling on feedback, I prefer to use the idea of speedback. It happens in the moment, when the occurence of the issue is still fresh. And when the worker is confronted to a non-distorted reality, which helps him or her to act on the content and the methodology of improving performance over time. By experience, when the it is time for the bi-annual evaluation, nothing comes as a surprise and it favors a smooth and forward looking discussion.

This is the hard part for any leader but if your team member truly wants to achieve their potential it has to be done and you would be doing them a disservice by not being honest. Start by making an honest, blunt list of improvements you'd like to see them make. Then take that list and review it. Identify what they can actually change and what is part of their character. When you communicate the information to them take the things they can change and give them each one with an example of how you have seen it versus how you would like it to be. This way you both hear the same message. Even have them give you an example in return. The items that are parts of their character are harder. There is not enough room to elaborate

Gaps in an employee can be identified when they are being observed not by hearing what others are saying or just by surveys ...but when they are observed for real. I'll give my own instance when I've helped many team members to identify and then work on their defined gaps. The process of identification means there is no judgment to what they should have done ...but what they have actually done as against what they should have. Having worked on this aspect closely...I must say that having a heart to heart chat has been highly impactful for me to drive results both for the individual as well as for the organisation!

A menudo vemos muchas promociones en empresas debidas a los buenos resultados de las personas promocionadas. Sin embargo, es frecuente ver que estas promociones no vienen acompañadas de una preparación previa al nuevo puesto de trabajo. Existe el dicho "cada persona ascenderá hasta su máximo nivel de incompetencia". Para evitarlo, es importante planificar un plan de carrera para el candidato, prepararle para el nuevo puesto de trabajo y acompañarle con un mentor que le ayude a gestionar la transición lo mejor posible, a conseguir mejores resultados y a generar un mayor nivel de satisfacción por todas las partes

For me, the key has always been seeing how the employee, the supervisee, handles negative criticism. They will not advance in their career if they become defensive. They must be taught to take criticism as a learning experience and the key to improvement.

Feedback should be specific and actionable, focusing on areas that need improvement or further development. By providing targeted feedback, managers can highlight the specific performance standards that need to be met for the promotion. This clarity helps employees understand the gap between their current performance and the expected level, enabling them to work towards meeting those standards.

Gaps and ‘issues’ are opportunities. These are areas where employees and team members have the chance to improve when properly coached. So the goal is to address these ‘gaps’ and create opportunities out of them for promotion. Like in any sport you need a good coach to get to the next level. Without guidance identifying gaps/issues is pointless.

Pay attention to specific actions and how they affect things, not mental traits. Without judging, make ideas for how things could be better. Encourage people to talk openly about problems and ways to make things better. Allow workers to talk about their issues and points of view. Use the skills you already have as a base for growth. Show how filling in the gaps can make their current skills even better.

Feedback is crucial for preparing employees for promotion. It helps identify strengths to leverage and areas needing improvement. Providing constructive feedback guides them in enhancing their skills, addressing weaknesses, and aligning their goals with promotion criteria. Regular feedback sessions enable employees to grow and develop competencies necessary for the next level.

Sharing top down the broader business objectives of the company, and relate it to the teams objectives and then to individual expectations helps the worker to understand and accept that performance, skills and/or behavior gap management is part of the overall idea that we all work together towards a common goal. Again, speedback supports efficiently continuous improvement and helps reduce subjective or objective gaps.

This is huge! Managers who do not celebrate their teams achievements and give them the recognition they deserve aren’t worth your time. Good leadership means giving the credit to your team and creating an environment for them to feel seen, respected and valued. Use your network to provide them with exposure so they can go on to advance their careers.

Start your Fridays with a celebration 🙌🏽 I regularly send out messages to my team to acknowledge their achievements and congratulate them on a well-done job. I believe in celebrating not just data-driven wins, but also applauding their accomplishments that go above and beyond their assigned roles within the organization. Often, their character and integrity are not recognized and celebrated loudly enough. But I make sure to ring that bell loudly. Recognizing and rewarding accomplishments based on these values is uplifting and shows your team that their character is a crucial factor in their growth and success within the organization. This is another critical measure in the roadmap to promotion.

Celebrating employees’ achievements is crucial in fostering a positive work environment. It acknowledges their hard work, boosts morale, and reinforces the behaviors and efforts that contribute to the success of the organization. Recognition can also increase employee engagement, productivity, and loyalty. Moreover, it sets a standard for performance, motivates other employees to strive for excellence, and aligns individual accomplishments with the company’s broader goals. Thus, celebrating achievements is not just beneficial for employees, but also for the overall health of the organization

Celebration of success however small it is serves as a great motivation for the team. They will contribute more. Getting appreciated and recognized what is achieved is inherent nature of all human beings

Celebrating achievements is AWESOME!! Every company must have as a priority, congratulate teams/ divisions/ business units when they achieve something, the same way companies highlight bad decisions, lost businesses, and, targets, we should encourage our team/ organization to feel part of the achievements. At the end of the day, the workforce "as a unit" is the ambassadors who make the company great in front of the world.

I want to share my own experience with this. I started my career back in 2005 as a part-time contract employee in a BPO. It was a US based customer support job. Every time I met a certain expectation or fulfilled a weekly target I'll be rewarded with a memento or cash award or some goodies. This, in a way motivated me to push myself even further. After 6 months I was awarded the job of training new recruits for the very job where I was rocking. Thus, a new chapter began in my life. Celebrating achievements not only helps to motivate the performers but also helps to identify potential employees for key strategic roles within the organisation.

Publicly and personally, recognise and celebrate progress towards promotion goals. The desired behaviour is reinforced, which encourages more effort. Support comments and praise from other students. A supportive atmosphere is created and accomplishments are recognised. Individual tastes and accomplishments should guide rewards. In addition to showing thanks, this also reinforces how important is feedback-driven growth.

As a leader, this is the best part of the job. Once they accomplish a professional or personal milestone, I make every effort to be the first to let them know, celebrate with them among my peers, as well as theirs, and cheer them on to push towards the next level.

Feedback plays a crucial role in preparing workers for promotion by providing insights into their strengths and areas for improvement. Constructive feedback helps employees understand their performance, set goals, and develop necessary skills. Regular communication fosters a positive work environment, enabling employees to grow and demonstrate their capabilities. Tailoring feedback to align with promotion criteria and offering guidance on specific competencies can effectively prepare workers for career advancement.

Distinguish the 'What' from the 'How' and evaluate and communicate accordingly. Meaning, the 'What' is what specific tasks and outcomes you expect of people whilst the 'How' is what traits you expect them to exude in the execution of those tasks and outcomes. Too many times, we either promote people who are good at the 'What', but lack the 'How' (EQ, soft skills) because we never truly separated those things in our evaluation of them. Or, we don't promote them because they lack the 'How', but we've never told them that because we didn't know how to explain it. The way to solve this is to separate these two from the start and ensure all expectation setting, evaluation, and feedback revolve around these two distinct facets.

O feedback construtivo pode preparar um funcionário para uma promoção ao destacar suas conquistas, apontar áreas de desenvolvimento e fornecer orientações claras para melhorias. Além disso, um feedback específico sobre como suas habilidades atuais se alinham aos requisitos da posição desejada e sugestões para aprimoramento contínuo são fundamentais. Isso não apenas motiva, mas também oferece uma visão clara sobre as expectativas para que o funcionário esteja bem preparado para avançar na carreira.

Always keep in mind “The Peter Principle” that states people, ultimately, will get promoted to their level of incompetency. We never want you to take a great employee and promote them based on that greatness or merits only.

One also need to consider the role of the mentor in creating awareness of the the organizational policies, culture and politics that either create does nor create opportunities for promotion and career pathing.

Já tive a oportunidade de liderar mais de 25 pessoas. Imagine dar feedback para todos, conseguir anotar alguns detalhes importantes de cada um que não podiam desapercebidos no dia a dia, pois eram fundamentais para o crescimento da pessoa e do time. Os feedbacks eram fundamentais para tratar esses pontos e ressaltar as partes boas e os itens a melhorar. Eu sempre fazia 3 perguntas para os liderados, antes de sair falando, nos nossos encontros 1-1 mensais. o que ele precisava parar de fazer, o que precisava continuar fazendo, e o que precisava começar a fazer? Com essas 3 reflexões, o próprio liderado trazia as reflexões, onde eu apenas pontuava as minhas anotações e feedbacks, para a melhoria pessoal e profissional.

Leaders often struggle to give constructive feedback to ‘Top Performers’, fearing that they might get demotivated and perform worse. However, I believe that as Leaders, we have a responsibility to give the right feedback at the right time, as this is what will help ‘Top Performers’ maintain their excellence for a long time. Otherwise, the areas of improvement might become major issues later on, when it might be too late to address them. Therefore, I recommend that we be courageous and give the feedback in a positive and respectful way, and trust that ‘Top Performers’ will appreciate the opportunity to improve and grow. So, Leaders should focus on the Big Picture and not the difficulty of giving constructive feedback

As a good leader you must be honest and supportive. Having regular conversation where you provide constructive feedback to help your employee to get where he/she wants to go in their professional journey, providing them with the right tools and introducing them to the right people. You must become their sponsor and give them visibility internally.

Feedback focused on performance is key. In the light of considering a promotion, I would work on understanding the job description, identifying the technical and professional shortcomings of the candidate, addressing them beforehand, and ensuring a smooth transition.

Feedback is a powerful tool for employee growth and promotion preparation. Regular, constructive feedback helps employees understand their strengths and areas for improvement. Tailor feedback to align with the skills and qualities essential for the desired promotion. Encourage open communication, allowing employees to express their career goals and concerns. Use feedback sessions to set clear objectives and offer guidance on skill development. Recognize achievements and provide a roadmap for advancement, making employees feel empowered and supported on their promotion journey.