You love having a RockStar employee. But when there is nowhere to promote them, you run the risk of losing them. Here is a roadmap you can follow to deal with this situation:
*Meet Regularly. You should have developmental conversations with this employee – and every employee – twice a year.
*Show Them the Path. Once you get the inkling that you have a future “star” on your hands, tell them this. Outline the knowledge and skills that they will need to develop to ascend to the next level. Support their development. Make sure your bosses know early on that you have a developing star.
*Be Proactive. As the development process moves forward, be proactive with your bosses. If there are not going to be any promotions available in due time with the current org chart, are there roles you can create that provide additional responsibility, compensation, and a new title?
*Be Honest with Your Star. Tell your star what you are able to do and what you cannot do. Try to maximize additional compensation, training, and job responsibility – even if you cannot provide a title change.
*Support Them If They Decide to Leave. Encourage them to be honest with you. If they decide they need to look around, encourage them and offer to support them in every way possible.
*The Door Swings Both Ways. If they leave, make sure that it is on the best of terms. Keep them in mind when you have future job openings. If they are a real hotshot, this person could end up being your future boss!
There is no substitute for treating people right. If you build the kind of culture in which you treat your star this way, word will spread. Future stars will be attracted to your organization. You can’t keep them all, but if you attract enough of them – it won’t matter.
