When a job vacancy occurs because of a retirement, a reorganization, or a welcome or unwelcome termination, leaders must choose. Do they either promote someone from within the organization or hire from outside?

I always say, if possible, develop your own people and look within first. Here are three tips for doing that wisely.

Leadership Tip #1
Intentionally develop team members to “step in to” or “step up to” a different role within the organization.

To do this, start with all team members having an individual professional development plan. This plan should include what’s needed for developing their skills and how they will learn what they need to learn within a stated timeline.

Leadership Tip #2
Promote people based on excelling in their current roles, but not on tenure. 

To prevent employees from being surprised when someone received a promotion and they didn’t, they require regular constructive feedback. The feedback you give should be timely, sincere, supportive, and encouraging. It should not be one way, threatening, or judgmental. Make sure it addresses the positive and offers opportunities for improvement as warranted.

Leadership Tip #3
Identify and promote team players.

Team players are those whose actions demonstrate an understanding and support of the organization’s culture and values. These employees are highly communicative and collaborative. They possess a positive attitude about change. Their actions add value to the organization.

To avoid costly and problematic internal hires, have a process in place to carefully develop and measure an employee’s performance. Match each person’s skills with the needs of the position. Consider the individual’s potential, not years of service. Also consider if the person really wants the promotion and, if yes, is it wanted for the right reasons.

Take your time, promote wisely, and you’ll be on your way to building a high-performance organization.