Larry Bird promised that he would only coach the Indiana Pacers for three years. After three successful seasons, he did just that. A man of his word, Larry Bird was onto something.
My mother just stepped down from her former position as department head. Currently, she's back to classroom teaching. According to her, it's how the institution hones leaders, by committing faculty members to administrative posts which are limited to three to four years. After which, educators go back to the classroom and the cycle begins again.
In the corporate world, practices like these don't exist. Normally, an employee, if he plays his cards right, gets promoted several times until he retires. He clings to his position until he transfers, resigns, or gets demoted.
As for me, I think there's a lot of wisdom in organizations which practice "rotational promotions", the term I coin for workplace arrangements where an employee is assigned to a leadership role but relinquishes it after some time.
Others might perceive this as disruptive to continuity and a disincentive to those who love climbing the corporate ladder. But the practice is a great way of maximizing people development within the constraints of today's business hierarchies. It also grounds senior executives who might feel alienated for being on the top for so long. It commits people to perform at their peak as opposed to them languishing in their positions after the initial hurrahs have faded. It also fosters collaboration among colleagues who view the chief manager as only "the first among equals".
What do you think?
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