Want to scale the Pyramid ?

Everyone is sure to have first-hand experience with the disappointment from being denied a much-expected and awaited promotion -- either venting this frustration at anyone who is empathetic enough to give a listening ear or as a colleague, friend or supervisor of someone else who is complaining out loud.

I am sure I myself have complained on more than one occasion but I got enlightenment particularly when I was at the receiving end (not of disappointment, but) of complaints from associates. One often thinks that he has not been promoted because there was not sufficient room at the top . . . because supply has exceeded demand. One points to the pyramid structure of any organization as proof. But this is far from truth. Truth is that one is denied promotion when one does not show enough promise either by way of demonstrated skills or potential waiting to be tapped. In other words, promotion is denied when one is not considered ready for the challenges above. The pyramid structure that organizations fill is often never a constraint. In reality, supply is far less than the demand. There are very few people qualified at any level for an elevation to the next higher level. Since this is the case, organizations often look for just the closest qualifier rather than the ideal candidate from among the ranks, for saddling with greater responsibilities. The next time, you feel like complaining yourself, or meet someone who is complaining, apply this test: Is supply really more than demand as it appears on the surface or is it the other way around? In a pyramid organization, in terms of sheer number, people at any level always far outnumber the available positions at the level immediately above. But the irony is that while one thinks all of them are candidates for promotion to the limited positions above, in reality anyone seldom qualifies automatically for promotion in terms of quality of their material. The result is that the person who is most focussed and successful at all-round self-development is best placed to move up.

This is something that hit me time and again in the last several years that I have been managing teams. But a couple of years ago, another truth hit me. This came from a top HR professional in a leading Indian software services company, and it came as a vindication of the truth that I used to advance especially to those in my teams with a grievance of having been overlooked for promotion. It applied the observation right at the bottom of the pyramid. (Let me not test your patience too long; this is it.) Of the thousands coming out of professional courses with (not so) flying colors, the majority are UNEMPLOYABLE. I am sure, fresh graduates who did not fare well in campus recruitments and who are then running from pillar to post, looking out for a job are complaining of supply exceeding demand. The reality here too is that in sheer number they do, but not in terms of quality material.

Time we started focusing on what it takes to grow up (rather than assuming that years and being occupied with something will automatically do wonders)!