Let’s define a checklist of questions to be answered before promoting the best employee to the role of a manager. The onus is on HR Function to execute it thoroughly.

Do they want to manage? - It is the most important question, but it’s so obvious many companies can completely skip it. Not every superstar employee intends to become a manager. Your top-notch sales rep might have become invaluable because they love the work they’re doing. You want to reward them by giving them a manager position, but what you’re doing is taking away from them the work they excel at. If the candidates don’t t seem motivated to manage, find another way to recognize and reward their hard work and find someone more suited to the management lifestyle. Poor management can indeed hurt your company, kill employee morale, and bring down your bottom line.

Do they have good people skills? - An employee might impress you with his tech wizardry, marketing know-how, or medical sales abilities, but this doesn’t always translate into management potential. Good managers need to guide workflow, train team members, clearly communicate goals and keep everyone on track. They have to be organized and ready to negotiate problems. Without top-notch people skills, the employees being managed are likely to feel rudderless and unrecognized, which is bad news for your company culture.

Are they aligned with business goals and grow aspirations? - As a manager, your top talent will be representing your business in a more visible way. They’ll be interpreting company goals for a team and ensuring organizational objectives cascade properly. This is why it’s important the employee in question is strategically aligned with company goals and culture. Managers need to be creative thinkers and problem solvers, and not only when it comes to their direct workflow. Before an employee is promoted, think what tangible value he can bring to your organization. Assess him on the new ways he demonstrates to face old challenges, did he bring new business or helped your company streamline processes? Creative thinkers are great at moving your business forward and can help you pivot a team of employees in a more productive direction.

Are they good listeners? -Communication is important, but listening is essential. Managers need to listen up and down the organizational chart so they can clearly communicate workflow to their team. They need to not only listen to what is being said but understand what is unsaid among the employees they manage. They need to hear to problems, address concerns and stop small issues from snowballing into enormous challenges. If managers are more focused on their work than their workers, it could spell bad news in a management setting.

I hope this article will be of great help, not only to aspiring managers but also to organizations by assisting them to identify, develop and create efficient and effective managers. For a leader to lead efficiently, he needs a team of managers, to believe in his vision and mission, and execute organizational goals effectively, while adhering to core values of the organization.

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