I just received good news from a friend in the industry who is very close to moving from a job as a school bus driver for a school district to a management trainee for a contractor. She has her sights set on becoming a transportation director one day, and I believe she's going to do it.
Not every bus driver, however, aspires to become a manager. Some are quite happy where they're at, and there's certainly nothing wrong with that. But I wonder if we're doing enough as an industry to develop our internal talent so that we don't have to look outside the organization when it's time to fill a managerial slot.
It's easy to overlook your own people as the future leaders of the organization. We tend to focus on their weaknesses and idiosyncracies (e.g., reads poetry during his breaks, has a baffling sense of humor, doesn't wash his car regularly) rather than looking at what they could become if properly motivated, challenged and, most importantly, trained.
I've seen many editors here at Bobit Business Media who were hired as entry-level editorial assistants rise through the ranks to become the top editors of their magazines. I have to admit that I was surprised that they moved up the ladder because I was saddled with memories of their early tenure, when they were still green and had a long way to go to reach a level of competence.
But they did. With the proper training, they developed the skill sets they needed to excel. And, as they developed the skills they needed, they also developed self-confidence, which I could see in their bearing and manner. It is extremely satisfying to witness this type of on-the-job growth.
So my recommendation is for managers to keep pushing for the development of your people and for the more junior employees to keep trying to develop your skills. One day, in the not-too-distant future, the folks who are running things will be retiring and those of you who are not going to be retiring will need to be prepared to take over.
Most people call this "succession planning." To me, that sounds too much like kings and queens handing their crowns and sceptors to undeserving sons and daughters. I like to think of it as "getting ready."
