Earning Your Stripes
Should we reward people for past performance or in anticipation of future success?
Recently, I was asked by a new team member whether she would have to "earn her stripes" again in the new team.
We have to show up and earn our stripes every quarter, every year. There aren't many companies left (wonder why?) where you achieve a goal, get your corner office, and rest.
I may be biased, my views may be aspirational, or you may simply consider me a little naive. My belief is that we should be able to put 10 random people in a room, not disclose rank nor name, and after an hour of working through a problem it should be clear who is the VP, who is a manager, and who is junior individual contributor -- based on the level of discourse, type of contribution, and approach to solving the problem demonstrated by each person. If you leaders couldn't pass that test, but must rely on rank and title, that's a warning sign.
Yes, past track records matter, but largely as an indicator regarding how someone will likely perform now and in the future. While good performance should be recognized and rewarded, that reward does not extend to achieving a lifetime of red carpet treatment. One has to earn that, every day.
Recently, I was asked by a new team member whether she would have to "earn her stripes" again in the new team.
We have to show up and earn our stripes every quarter, every year. There aren't many companies left (wonder why?) where you achieve a goal, get your corner office, and rest.
I may be biased, my views may be aspirational, or you may simply consider me a little naive. My belief is that we should be able to put 10 random people in a room, not disclose rank nor name, and after an hour of working through a problem it should be clear who is the VP, who is a manager, and who is junior individual contributor -- based on the level of discourse, type of contribution, and approach to solving the problem demonstrated by each person. If you leaders couldn't pass that test, but must rely on rank and title, that's a warning sign.
Yes, past track records matter, but largely as an indicator regarding how someone will likely perform now and in the future. While good performance should be recognized and rewarded, that reward does not extend to achieving a lifetime of red carpet treatment. One has to earn that, every day.