Address
SOBCA, Abuja Nigeria
Work Hours
Monday to Friday: 8AM - 6PM
DON’T PROMOTE A PERSON FROM CRUDE TO FINESSE BEFORE READING THIS.
This driver was resourceful and handy. He was very hardworking and took a lot of initiative. She felt that she needed to move him from DRIVER to PROJECT OFFICER.
Some years ago, maybe around 2-3 years back, I was coaching a CEO. She spoke glowingly about her Driver whom she said loved her projects and work. She’s into construction and real estate. This driver was resourceful and handy. He was very hardworking and took a lot of initiative. She felt that she needed to move him from DRIVER to PROJECT OFFICER.
I told her flatly: NO. DO NOT TRY THAT ‼️
She was shocked 😳
I told her “you would promote him and he would flop in 3 ways. He will fail himself, fail you and fail the business.”
The thing about this class of people, and anyone at all, is that WHAT WE ENJOY IS NOT THE SAME AS RECEIVING AUTHORITY FOR WHAT WE ENJOY.
That a person LOVES to do something DOES NOT mean they are READY to own the responsibility of what they love.
BEFORE you promote, you must BUILD. Before you promote, you must EQUIP. Before you promote, you must AUTHORIZE IN SLICES and ORGANICALLY.
DO NOT PROMOTE UNTIL YOU HAVE INVESTED IN CAPACITY BUILDING ‼️
That ‘Cook’, ‘Driver’, ‘Gateman’, ‘Office Assistant’, ‘Secretary’, ‘PA’, ‘Manager’, etc… don’t move them into ‘Chef’, ‘Head of Transport/Logistics’, ‘CSO’, ‘Facility Manager’, ‘EA’, and ‘COO’; respectively, if you have not made them MORE SUITABLE for that new role and responsibility.
Remember, The Peter Principle states that an employee continues to receive promotions to work in higher ranks up to that point where he reaches a level of incompetence. In simple terms, the higher the hierarchy ladder an individual goes, the more likely he is to fail in his new position; and the best way to help them is to GROOM THEM as they prepare for that role. This is the MOST EFFICIENT APPROACH TO PROMOTIONS.
To buttress my point, do you remember that boy on social media who was passionately selling Aquafina Water and who was rewarded with a fully stocked outlet of Aquafina water? Well, HE LOST EVERYTHING WITHIN 9 MONTHS. Watch it here: https://www.instagram.com/p/DAnqc7pitI5/?igsh=MjByZHplNXdoYTBn
If you’re struggling with effective promotions and staff career growth management, talk to the Cerca Africa Team. We’re planning an ANNUAL CORPORATE RETREAT on November 20th to 22nd and this is a key area we will be dissecting for you. You cannot afford to miss this chance to fix gaps in your business in 2025. Call 07035953367 now.
Sam Obafemi
Founder/CEO, Cerca Africa