Do You Value Seniority More Than Performance? Don't Fall Into The Tenure Trap

I stopped by a coffee shop recently and while I was waiting for my cup of coffee I couldn't help but overhear a conversation that was happening at one of the small tables near me. One of the men there was complaining rather loudly about how someone else on his team had just gotten a promotion, even though he had been at the company much longer than the other person. He was pretty disgruntled and went on to list the reasons why he should have received the promotion. The list included, well, that he had been there longer, along with some things he didn't like about the guy who got the job. I run into this quite a bit when I work with organizations that have never made a choice about whether they value tenure or performance more highly. It is important that you define what matters most in your business so that everyone on the team understands the guidelines and they become part of your expectations and your culture.

Don't rely on tenure to get you to the next level. What you do today matters.

Hopefully, the people who have been around the longest in your organization are also some of the best performers. In many businesses though, there are individuals who take a different view and believe that as long as they have paid their dues by showing up for several years, they can relax a little bit and let some of the new people pick up the slack. I've always found a little humor in the metaphor "I paid my dues" because I have never come across any kind of dues that weren't recurring. Dues are not a one-time thing. They, like performance, need to happen on a regular basis if you want the privileges associated with them. There are certainly organizations out there that have lots of tenure, and only mediocre performance.

Simply managing not to get fired, is not grounds for a promotion. I have known some amazing people who have put in a tremendous amount of time, energy and passion into building something, doing their job well, teaching others and frankly, they deserve some rewards for what they have accomplished. And I hope that they received them along the way. Their managers, peers, and others in the organization should have thanked them, let them know how much of a difference they made, and looked for opportunities to help them if there was a need. They should be compensated well, rewarded when their performance warrants it and given opportunities to grow, thrive and reach their full potential. That's what should happen when people perform well. But there is a stark contrast between just showing up and adding real value to the organization and we need to differentiate when we reward and invest in our people.

Should people that have been around a while be given a fair shot and the support they need to step up and perform more effectively? Yes, everyone should. They may even get a little longer to right the ship if they are struggling or have burnt out a bit on the job. They certainly deserve more of our help as leaders so that they can get back on track. But we have to be very careful about what we value in our organization. If it is possible for someone to simply hang around longer and therefore get a promotion or a reward for longevity and nothing more, you can bet that the newer people in the business will quickly decide that doing enough to get by is the most efficient way to succeed in this culture.

The conversation in the coffee shop shifted as I was picking up my beverage. They had moved to sports as a topic and the guy who was complaining about not getting the promotion was talking about an NFL quarterback who had been placed on the practice squad for one of the football teams. He was explaining how that would be the best job on the team because you make a league minimum salary of a couple hundred thousand a year and you don't have to work as hard or get hit at game speed. I couldn't help but think that if you were to interview this quarterback, I doubt he would have been so happy about the demotion. He had probably worked for something bigger and better in his eyes. I'm sure the only way you ever make a practice squad in the NFL is by striving to be a starter, not by looking for an easy job that pays well.

Performers get rewarded by showing up every day and doing their best and receiving all that comes with that kind of approach. But the showing up part by itself should never be a reason for a promotion. We all have periods where we miss the mark, don't feel like it, and simply choose to do less. But we can't expect to be rewarded for that, no matter what we did yesterday.

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When You Don't Know Where You're Going, It Really Doesn't Matter Which Way You Go - 5 Strategies

"Which way should I go?" This is the classic quandary that spans across the ages by every walk of life at various stages in life. Since we do spend the majority of our lives as working adults, it's very important to know within ourselves in which direction we will go to find a successful career path. The beauty is that we never have to stick with a decision that we made about a career ten or 20 years ago - we can change directions when we discover that small voice inside that whispers, "When you love your work, it doesn't feel like work." The trick is to figure out how you get from where you currently are to where you actually want to be.

We can take a big hint from the wise, yet strange, Cheshire Cat who has a similar discussion in the book, Alice in Wonderland. In the story when Alice finds herself roaming around in circles and feeling lost, she meets the Cheshire Cat and asks him about which way she should go. The Cheshire Cat asks if she has a place in mind, and Alice answers that it really doesn't matter. The simplistically sensible Cheshire Cat advises her that if it really doesn't matter where she goes, then it really doesn't matter which way she goes. We can view this advice as being shallow and insensitive to Alice's immediate needs, or we can see it as a snippet of deep truth that Alice should heavily ponder before she takes one more step.

Here are Five Strategies that can help you fix that dilemma:

Define What Matters-Write down the factors you want from a great career. Money should never be the sole focus and drive; your wallet may be full, but your quality of life could feel empty an unfulfilled. Do you want challenges and growth, steadiness and routine, or be a part of the unknown and undiscovered possibilities? Work-happiness has a meaning for each person, so find out what that means to you.
Change Your Vantage Point- If you've ever been in a plane and looked out the window to see how tiny a big world can appear from a different vantage point, you can relate to how this changes your perspective. What we know as being miles of road on the ground, the same roads are only inches from a bird's-eye view. This is how you should look at your career path; step back (way, way back) to reveal more of the course you'll need to take to get from point A to point B (and so forth) until you reach the point of your destination, which is the job in the career you really want and love.
Chart Your Expected Chunks of Achievements- if the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step, then identify what that first step is for you. Will it be more training, more education, a different environment, a better job in your industry of choice, or connecting with the right people that can help you move forward? Seeing your goals spread out like blocks on a board game help you visualize your progress and what lies ahead that still must be done.
Plan Your Work and Work Your Plan- rarely will a magic moment come along and suddenly place you smack-dab into the exact job you've always wanted. While it's very true that sometimes, as they say, "the stars will align" and everything falls into place, depending upon it will only lead to increased self-doubt and disappointment. Your personal roadmap is your guide. Mark each step of the way and celebrate the milestones!
Share Your Progress with Others- a cheering squad can keep you on track and always motivate you to complete your journey along your career path. Somebody who knows somebody else can tell another somebody else about your hard work. Then the next thing you know, some stars begin to appear in alignment for you because you are actually participating in arranging the stars yourself!

And remember: The Cheshire Cat didn't make it easy for Alice. Instead, he posed the likelihood that she would continue to wander around in wonderland if she didn't know where she wanted to go. Chasing a white rabbit was a spontaneous decision she made, and all through the story, she never knew where she was going. Don't let that happen to you along your career path! Know where you want to go, and then you'll know which way to go!

Meloney B. Hall is the Director or Creating Marketing at AGI Hospitality Recruiting, which is the expert in connecting GREAT managers with GREAT employers within the Hospitality/Restaurant Industries. Located in the Cincinnati, Ohio area, AGI has job-opening opportunities across the United States. Contact one of our professional recruiters by phone at 513.731.1359 or email jobs

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