What’s job grooming?

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Being groomed for a job is a positive experience in business, as it involves receiving special attention from a senior executive and learning the business from the ground up. This process can take years and is not taken lightly, as it involves developing empathy for future employees.

There are far worse fates in business than being groomed for a job. In general, whenever a junior executive or heir to the family business demonstrates significant potential for future advancement, he or she can be taken under the wing of a senior executive and receive special attention. Someone who is lucky enough to be groomed for a job usually understands the level of company loyalty and years of dedicated service the position will require. If the saying “Many are called but few are chosen” is true, then someone being groomed for a job has definitely been chosen. This is not a business relationship to be taken lightly, similar to the sempai/kosai partnerships formed between senior and junior executives in Japanese corporate culture.

Someone being groomed for a job is often required to learn the business from the ground up, starting with entry-level positions and ending in executive offices. This is significantly different from the usual practice of hiring a person for a specific position based on skill or experience. A person being groomed for a management position may not have the prerequisite skills for certain positions, but is expected to learn what it takes to do the job full-time. Many family businesses strongly believe that heirs should know what it’s like to work in the manufacturing plant or in the head offices. Hopefully, the person being groomed for a supervisory or management position can develop some empathy for their future employees by first-hand experiencing their work.

A person being groomed for a job often spends many hours observing the daily routine of the current position holder, as well as asking specific questions about the job’s duties and expectations. The grooming process for a senior management position or senior management position is commonly measured in years, not months. An executive may decide not to retire or change careers until they are satisfied that a properly groomed replacement has been found. Even after the new manager or executive has assumed his or her new duties, it would not be unusual for other senior leaders to retain unofficial supervisory roles until the nominated candidate has an opportunity to demonstrate their competence.




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