23 April The Crucial Promotions (...tomorrow's...)

[Paul Terlemezian]

As we look back on our careers it can be interesting to list the promotions we applied for and received as well as the promotions we applied for and did not receive.

 

What might have occurred if any of those situations had been different.

 

In retrospect - did you ever get a promotion that you would have been better off not getting?

Pick one of the promotions you did not get - and that you and your company would both have been better off if you had. In retrospect what could you have done differently to have helped your company make the right decision.

 

Does every employee get to take every course they would like to take? - probably not.

Does every employee succeed with every couse they do take? Succeed not just in the course but more importantly on the job using what they learned in the course - again probably not.

 

Is it possible for someone to fail the course and then use the failure to motivate their improved performance despite the failure?

 

How can the training organization assure that the right people get the right courses at the right time?

 

What can be done to assure that the learner is motivated to improve their performance whether or not they get the training or succeed in the training?

[Paul Terlemezian]

I can recall two specific times when I won an assignment for being "myself" despite the advice of others who were encouraging me to change my style.

The first time was when my manager assigned me the role of teaching our sales force about our technology products. My manager knew that I was technically competent and a great instructor. My quiet demeanor amongst authority figures was very different from my theatrics in the classroom - almost like a Clark Kent - Superman dynamic. The VP of Sales had only seen Clark Kent - and opposed the decision. My manager persisted - and for the next two years I was rated the top sales training instructor by the learners. About 12 years later I began a successful sales career.

The second time was when I was being recruited from one company to join a new company. The recruiter told me that he feared I was not aggressive enough to manage a 12 person sales team across 10 states. He challenged me to be more aggressive during the interview. Well - that was not me - it still is not - so Clark Kent interviewed. When I was offered and accepted the role - the VP that hired me said something like - "We have a young and aggressive sales force - I need a stable mature leader that they will respect - you are exactly what I need."

Perhaps in the future I will write about the promotions I got - that I would have been better off not getting!