Most people are not trained to be leaders; they are promoted.

This is going to be a long one, but there is a real lesson in this post.

I remember sitting in an empty training room with my new supervisor, whom I’ll call Supervisor B. We were meeting for a three-month review, and I was applying for a newly opened position that I knew would be a great fit for me. Supervisor B opened a file and began reviewing transcripts of online conversations—I was a customer service representative for a popular online retailer. The conversation started well, as I apologized for our first interaction, but the rest of the meeting quickly became contentious. Supervisor B stated that they did not believe I was ready or qualified for the new role, citing company policy that prohibited newly hired employees from transferring positions until they had worked for at least 90 days. When I asked why they felt I was unprepared, Supervisor B flipped through the file and explained that, while my work was strong, I could not move into a new role because I had just started with the company.

Here is the problem with that explanation:

• Many people were being moved into new roles that started at the same time as me. Three co-workers who sat three desks down from me were newly moved into separate roles.

I recall sitting back in my seat and looking at Supervisor B, wanting to end the review immediately. Thankfully, Supervisor B must have felt the same, as they ended the review by telling me they would speak with the supervisor of the department I was interested in transferring to. I thanked them for their time and feedback, then returned to my desk. This would not be the last time a supervisor questioned my readiness for promotion, yet openly promoted others with similar tenure. It became clear that many supervisors were making decisions without fully understanding employees’ experience or potential, and that good leadership was often lacking.

Supervisor B also openly shared that it was their first time in a management position and that they had no previous management experience. Their assistant had management experience. At the time, I had over 10 years of management experience and was surprised to be told that I did not qualify for a customer service role in the luxury retailer unit, which was not a management role.

What I realized was that many managers are not qualified to be managers or leaders. The situation I described was not my first encounter with a bad supervisor, nor would it be my last. However, it was the first time I was told verbally that the supervisor had no supervisory or management experience. This person became a manager at a time when the company was hiring and quickly promoting new hires, and I’m pretty sure Supervisor B knew someone who knew someone.

The problem is that companies should not hire people for leadership roles without any leadership experience. I initially applied for a leadership role at the company but was never invited to interview. I later learned from another manager that the company was looking for someone who had previously held the director role, presuming the candidate had experience as a department director. Eventually, the company hired someone who had previously held the role of director, but, to their own admission, they were uncomfortable working with people.

I remember sitting in an empty training room with supervisor B for a three-month review. Supervisor B opened a file and began reviewing transcripts of online conversations. Recall that this is the supervisor with no prior management experience, and it showed. Supervisor B had never met with the team as a group or individually, and for a month I had no idea who my supervisor was. When I inquired about their whereabouts, it was reported to Supervisor B that I questioned their management. In a sense, I was, but at the same time, I have never worked for a company where I had no idea who my supervisor was. As a result of their reaction to my inquiry, I apologized to reset the engagement.

It was challenging to be evaluated by Supervisor B and her assistant, given their limited experience compared to mine. Some of the items they were reviewing seemed to focus on items that were not an issue. I asked for their feedback on how to resolve the items or what they thought would be the best approach, but their responses were often the same as what I had done, or they were unsure about the best practice. One item that was brought up was not an issue; in real time, both managers had come to realize during the meeting that the approach I took was better than what they would have done. I left the company three weeks later.

Unfortunately, here are some of the ways that individuals with no management or supervision skills and experience get hired into those roles:

·         Seniority: people who have been with the company for lengthy periods. These individuals have not necessarily worked their way up the company hierarchy; they have just been around long enough to know how things are done in the company. They have not received training or coaching on how to be a leader.

·         Association: people who know someone who knows someone in the company. These individuals are hired by association; they may or may not know anything about the role's duties, but mostly they have the connection. They may have some leadership training, skills, or experience, but often they do not. Nepotism.

·         Availability: people are just there. Some individuals may not have seniority, but they have open availability, which is often required in leadership roles. Quite simply, the person was available – they were just there. These individuals have great attendance and are more social in the company. They make connections within the company and, as a result, are there when a leadership role opens.

·         Title: people have been employed in the role being presented. These individuals have held the title role with a previous employer, but it does not mean they have the knowledge or skills for the leadership role.

I want to be clear that just because someone has obtained a role or position through one of the aforementioned ways does not mean they cannot become better leaders. Although most individuals who gain their employment through one of the aforementioned means do not realize, know, or accept that they need training to be a leader, let alone a great leader.

So what is the solution to ridding companies of poor leadership:

A. Stop hiring because of all the aforementioned instances.

B. When HR selects individuals, ensure that resume and background information is shared among management. As I highlighted, the supervisor had no idea what my background and experience were because an HR unit recruited, interviewed, and hired me. The supervisor had no input or insight into my hiring and therefore passed me up for promotion, assuming I had no experience in the other department.

C. Those in hiring positions need to review and evaluate resumes properly. Often, those in leadership roles will expound on their experience and duties in their resumes. Additionally, during interviews, questions should focus more on management experience, scenarios, and strategies.

D. Individuals in leadership roles who do not have access to employee resumes should talk directly with employees to discover their experience and background. Set a time to have one-on-one conversations with employees about their work and experience. This offers many advantages for the company and its leadership because it demonstrates to employees that they are valued, reduces morale and turnover, and enables the company to hire internally and externally fairly.

E. Lastly, train leaders; this is often the part that is never addressed. In my current position, I have noted that individuals promoted into leadership roles have no leadership experience (they were present). This is creating distress and upheaval because the individuals do not know how to appropriately address situations involving customers and staff. The individuals become easily distressed, overwhelmed, and lash out in ways that create negative work environments. Active leadership training in real time can be advantageous, but it takes time and constant evaluation. External leadership training workshops, on-the-job leadership training, and scheduled evaluations regarding leadership development are great ways to facilitate leadership growth.

The lesson I learned from my shared situation was not to accept positions below my skill set, and before anyone comes for me, please know that I had not been working because I became a caregiver for my disabled parent. Beyond that reason for accepting the position, I saw firsthand the challenges of the leadership role, and I was deeply concerned about the management skills and knowledge of certain leaders. There is no excuse for bad leadership. We need to strive to do better as leaders.

By Nick Higgins