Richard Branson says, ‘If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes – then learn how to do it later!’

When offered with an opportunity to become a manager, you were thrilled because receiving a promotion is like the holy grail of career success. Embracing Branson’s motto, you wanted to ignore the uneasy feelings in your gut and were about to say ‘yes’. But before you do so, please read on. 

What people wouldn’t expect from a promotion

There are times when candidates come to us because they felt they shouldn’t have moved up. Not all promotions are equal. Some managerial promotions do not guarantee a better pay. Simon (pseudonym) works in retail banks. His income got slashed by 30% when he was promoted from a relationship manager to a branch manager. Being a top salesperson doesn’t mean that he knows how to lead others achieving the same target. He does not feel rewarding spending a good portion of his working hours doing one on one with his team members. The most frustrating part for him was to lead subordinates who are earning more than him, as managers tend to get less commission than front-line salespersons. 

This is what people referred to as ‘the promotion curse’. A recent study even finds that when companies promote their best salespeople, the sales growth of workers assigned to the star sellers was 7.5 points lower than whose managers were previously weaker performers. But this phenomenon doesn’t only apply to sales-oriented roles. The fundamental problem is that working as managers requires a totally different set of skills, including strategic planning, coaching, and administrative competence. We have seen candidates feeling disillusioned by their promotion in other non-sales roles such as programmers, designers, and analysts/ consultants.  

What to consider before agreeing to a promotion

Here are 3 things you could consider when taking up a managerial role to avoid getting entangled in this predicament: 

1. Key activities

Being a manager entails a different routine of work which usually includes more meetings, one on ones, meeting with the senior managements, etc. Look at the routine of other managers and see if you can see yourself in it, or do you enjoy doing it. Talk to the managers and listen to their worries. Could you imagine yourself solving their challenges? Is that what you would rather do compared to what you are doing? 

2. Payment structure

Generally, promotion salary increases in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand ranges between 14-17%. Some bigger companies have a specific salary banding for different grades. What you have to consider is not only the basic salary, but also opportunities to earn bonus/ team bonus, commissions, profit sharing, etc. when being promoted and in a long run when you get higher up. 

3. Career prospect

Managerial experience generally adds value to your CV when you are looking for jobs, but blindly looking for that privilege could be counter- productive if you do not have a clear career game plan. A career game plan involves setting goals and detailing how you will be able to accomplish the goals. List out all the skills required and draw a step-by-step plan on how you can pick up those skills on your career path. Unless you are confident about taking up a managerial position would lead you a step closer to your career goals, otherwise staying put a little while might not be a bad idea.

Consider alternate career paths

Every person is unique and what people are after doesn’t necessarily speak to you in the same way. It is worth looking into what motivates you as an individual and designing your career path that is true to who you are. Bear in mind that career paths shouldn’t be only vertical. When considering career progression in terms of skills progression, a vertical ladder doesn’t always make sense. Focus on honing your skills instead of chasing after titles could help you sustain a career marathon.