Is your future CEO answering the phone?

Plus: 10 best practices for promoting career advancement for high-potential employees

Several CEOs have started their careers in frontline roles. A common theme we see among these future CEOs is that they started in organizations that recognized high-potential employees and provided a career path that eventually led to the corner office.

CEOs who started in a frontline role include:

• Karen Kaplan, Hill Holliday
  Karen Kaplan joined Hill Holliday as a receptionist, hoping to save enough money for law school. Four decades later, she’s had just about every job there is to have at an agency, gaining valuable insight into how to approach each business challenge with a fresh perspective.  Karen went on to become the Chair & CEO overseeing agency brands Hill Holliday, Hill Holliday Health and EP+Co.
  
  
• Chris Rondeau, Planet Fitness
  Chris Rondeau has served as the Chief Executive Officer of Planet Fitness since January 2013. Mr. Rondeau joined Planet Fitness in 1993, working the front desk at the very first location in Dover, NH, one year after the original founders, Michael and Marc Grondahl, started the Company in 1992. Today the brand has over 2,000 locations system wide.
  
  
• Alex Gorsky, Johnson & Johnson
  Alex Gorsky started his career in the field as a sales representative for Janssen Pharmaceuticals. Over the next three decades, he advanced through positions of increasing responsibility in sales, marketing, and management and in 2012 was appointed CEO and Chairman of Johnson & Johnson.

While some companies do it well, many organizations don’t put enough emphasis on recognizing and advancing high-potential employees. Are your future CEOs confident that their potential will be recognized and rewarded – or are they working on their resumes in the hope of finding an organization that truly values their potential?

Retaining Your Future CEO

Here are 10 best practices for promoting career advancement for high-potential frontline employees:

1. Identify high-potential employees early. The sooner you identify high-potential employees, the sooner you can start developing them for future leadership roles.
   
   
2. Develop a talent pool. Once you have identified high-potential employees, create a talent pool where you can track their progress and development. A talent pool will make it easier to identify the right people for promotions and other opportunities.
   
   
3. Create a learning culture. Encourage employees to learn and grow by providing them with opportunities for training, development, and mentorship.  Include things like tuition reimbursement, online courses, or access to industry experts.
   
   
4. Build employee career paths. Help employees visualize their career growth by creating clear and structured career paths. Visualizing a career path gives employees a sense of direction and purpose and makes it easier for them to identify the skills and experience they need to advance.
   
   
5. Deliver continuous performance management. Provide regular feedback to employees on their performance, both positive and negative. Feedback helps employees identify their strengths and weaknesses, and ensures they are on track to achieve their career goals.
   
   
6. Offer a variety of career development opportunities. Not all high-potential employees will want to take the same career path. Some may be interested in technical roles, while others may prefer to move into management. Offer a variety of opportunities so that employees can find the path that is right for them.
   
   
7. Provide recognition and rewards. When employees achieve their goals, be sure to recognize and reward them. Recognizing and rewarding goal achievement demonstrates to employees that their work is valued, and motivates them to continue striving for success.
   
   
8. Offer career advancement when ready. When high-potential employees are ready for a promotion, be sure to offer them one. Promotion opportunities sends a signal to employees that you are committed to their development, and gives them the opportunity to take on new challenges and responsibilities.
   
   
9. Provide mentorship. Pair high-potential employees with experienced mentors who can help them develop their skills and knowledge. Mentorship is a great way to give employees exposure to different areas of the business and learn from some of the best minds in the company.
   
   
10. Give them stretch assignments. Give high-potential employees challenging assignments that will help them grow and develop. Stretch assignments prove to employees that you have confidence in their abilities and gives them the opportunity to prove themselves.

About the Author: Michael Vermillion leads CX improvement consulting for J.D. Power and works with CX-focused organizations to develop, align and execute CX strategy.

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