Career Progression

People leave your business because you’ve asked them to go, or because someone else has presented them with a more compelling vision for their future than you have. In my Growth, Leadership and Management Tip this month I’ll coach you on career progression and why you must have a plan for managing your organization’s growth.

What does a career path look like? Well, if you start someone in reception they may progress to leasing, then to a BDM or junior property manager, then into sales, or maybe senior property manager or department head.

For someone starting in sales, they can step up to sales assistant, become an agent and later join a team, then become a department manager or sales manager. Eventually, somebody’s going to be a director or an owner in your business.

This is not meant to be a quick or easy career path. Each step of the way will require time and work. You’ll need to set measurements for defined skill sets and KPIs at each level. One thing this structure does is to prevent people asking for undue raises or promotions. They’ll know there’s a path they have to follow. It also keeps you from panicking when you lose someone because you already have a replacement ready to step into that position.

Along with setting key skills for each role, you also need to employ wage banding so that each position has a set pay range. Whenever your people want to make more money, there’s a path in place for them to get there. Having a clear career progression plan establishes your vision for the people inside of the organization. They can see a future for themselves on the inside of this organization. They’ll have goals and know what has to be done to reach them, so they can do meaningful work on the inside of your business.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this month’s Growth, Leadership and Management Tip, and I look forward to seeing you here again next week.