Situation - I have a very high potential employee who currently manages a regulatory/compliance area in my team.  She has expressed interest in becoming more connected to a role in marketing which has revenue attainment responsibility.  She and I agreed on her transitioning to a new role; in meantime, she would be placed with responsibility for our business to business marketing efforts (which are small in scope, yet support our primary business line).  As our compliance exam is coming down to the wire, the employee told me she had to put 100% focus on the exam, and I'd need to find someone else to handle the commitment to her revenue/marketing role for next 2 months.

Behavior - the employee is naturally geared toward areas which she sees as "must do/highest priority" given her accounting and compliance experience.  As a result she's not yet realized how sales and profit results are what drives the business and are many times a higher priority (and certainly not an area which can be "put on hold").

Impact - the portion of our business which accounts for 70% of our revenues would go unsupported or another less experienced member of our team would have to also pull in this area to cover for her.

I first thanked the employee for her dedication to her current area and desire for a optimal outcome in compliance.  I also reminded her of the reason she desires career growth is to have revenue driving experience.  And with this, comes the ability to make trade off decisions on her own vs. a more myopic approach on "what is required" in any given day/situation.  She had committed to this additional responsibility and we all are managing multiple competing priorities.

She was flustered and unhappy with the rules not being so "clear cut" when we first spoke.  I was proud of her coming back this week and telling me she appreciated my support of her career growth even as this comes with challenges which are new/uncomfortable for her.

Todd Townsend
972-333-0276