Dual Ladder Career Development
Her technical skills were highly effective, however. The client requested that we coach her in her people skills because she was seen as a valuable employee and as someone the client wanted to keep in a management role. After two coaching sessions the participant basically rejected the idea of her remaining a manager. Management was not high on her career development wish-list. She was very technically oriented; had been promoted out of the research and development area and wanted to return so she could do what she wanted-research.
Initially, the client suggested that we "try harder" to convince her to remain a manager of others. We discussed the situation in a meeting with Personnel and her immediate manager. We recommended the client consider creating a dual-ladder, with equal pay and equivalent titles (and prestige), to allow those who wanted to remain in research the opportunity to contribute to the organization if so desired. We suggested that not everyone had a desire to manage others, but rather may prefer to manage a project. Personnel decided to look into this option and within a month had crafted a dual-ladder promotion and compensation ladder for its employees.
The participant we coached, and who was the primary catalyst for this option, was allowed to go back to research, without having to manage others, and continue the work she loved to do. The organization benefited from her work (she holds a patent for one of her efforts). The participant also became a mentor, coach, and motivating force for other women scientists and technicians.
Her former staff benefited because their new manager was able and more willing to set performance expectations, coach and guide them, and, at times, listen to their complaints and suggestions. Her research-peers benefited from her grasp of complex technical-chemical issues. The employees benefited because now they could choose between two career-tracks that, depending on their interests and performance, could provide them with advancement opportunities.
