I have this employee who has been learning his role on-the-job now for several years. During the past two, he hasn’t received a promotion and he’s wondering why.
After our informal discussion where he disclosed his frustrations, it was immediately clear to me the reason for his struggles. Doug is a superstar in his own right. He has been a workhorse and managing close to double the project-load of his peers. But the problem is that he is always in the weeds and can’t see where the next level in his career might be. He might not be performing at the “expected” level because he is self-involved in a formula that has kept him at the top of his game with his clients.
I might add that his indirect report and “mentor”, who works in a different division but is his closest interaction on a day to day basis, is not much older and learning things along the way as well.
And he wonders why he can’t articulate how and why he wants the promotion when asked by his mentor and the HR supervisor. It seems to me that he needs help to define the goals, rather than being asked to set goals that he’s defining himself. In his mind, he’s already reached his goals. So of course his promotion is long overdue.
Ever come across this situation? How did you handle it?
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