Can you stand a promotion?

By Anderea Morara

Ray Kroc, Chairman of the MacDonald hamburger chain, often declined to give some applicants franchises with his company, because he doubted "their ability to withstand prosperity".

Ray had observed that, "some people reach their level of prosperity pretty quickly".

By this he meant that some people have very low ambitions and they reach their level of contentment (or what President Museveni would call "arrivisim") very easily.

Once they hit the arrivisim state, they feel they have already made it and, therefore, they have little inclination to work hard any more.

There are two – probably now obsolete - economic theories that support Ray’s thesis.

One theory talks of people having high rates of time preference and the other talks of workers with target incomes.

Let’s take the easier one: workers with target incomes/goodies. Cecilia, now a home management guru, often tells how she used to be so frustrated with house workers from certain parts of the country until she learned the hard way.

Decent dress

Here was the scenario: You get a girl with only one torn dress, sometimes baring vital areas and you are nudged into buying at least one decent dress for her even before she starts working for you.

Mind you that was before the mitumba era – quite an investment then.

Come month end – encouraged by her meticulous work and gentle handling of the kids -- you buy her an additional dress and some undergarments.

The following morning, you find her by the door with all her clothes (most of which are those you bought for her the previous day) in a plastic bag looking sullen and withdrawn.

"What’s up, Maria? Why are you standing on the door? And what are you carrying?

"My mother is very sick. I have to go home."

"How did you know your mother was sick?" (Remember there no mobile phones then).

"My aunt came yesterday, when you were at work and told me."

Well equipped

You plead with her to stay for another day while you make arrangements for a temporary maid.

Maria has now reached her level of prosperity. She has two new dresses and even a set of undergarments, and she is particularly excited by the half-kamisi (petticoat).

Now she considers herself well-equipped to outshine Helen and get married to John, the handsome carpenter in her rural village. Why would she be working for you any more?

Some office workers are like Maria, but yet different in some respects. All they ever dream is to reach a certain grade. They have never conceived themselves holding any higher post; and if you unwittingly promote them you might as well be losing them.

For example, there used to be some ladies in the civil service who could not function outside the typing pool. Promoting her to personal secretary is overwhelming responsibility.

They soon start falling sick more often and even seek for a transfer into another typing pool.

Be indispensable

Kevin, a fantastic technician for many years broke down and cried, when he was promoted to supervisor for he felt that was a way making him dispensable.

The former supervisor had been sent away for being "ineffective".

So Kevin wondered, "how does one become effective by just going from to place to tell people to work and yet he is not the owner of the business?" He declined the offer.

There are a good number of people who never imagine that they could be managers; and if they are ever given such a position they think they are only holding fort till a suitable person is found.

So they never do it well enough to excel. And soon their beliefs are fulfilled – they are relieved of the jobs and different people are given the responsibility, because they have not performed to management’s expectation.

Once out of the job, they could be heard saying: "I knew that they were just putting me there to warm the seat for their preferred candidate. Now look, the guy they have given the job has been given a car right away, but when I was there they asked me to use a pool car."

If you act like you do not want to stay on a job, why should management bother to give you the pertinent perks?

Even former president Moi was supposed to warm the seat for an "appropriate" president for a maximum of 90 days only; but when he decided that he was good enough for the seat, the rest is history.

So make up your mind whether you deserve the higher position; and demonstrate that you can handle it, and soon your CV would be different.

The writer is the Executive Director of Capacity Development Africa Ltd.