Are You Really Ready to Move Up?

The wireless industry has a big problem. With so many new carriers entering the business, people are being promoted to upper management positions faster than at any other time in history. PCS carriers are desperate for employees to fill positions at all levels, and the only ones with experience are working for cellular carriers.

So the phone rings. One day you're a sales trainer, and the next day you're the national sales training manager. Sales reps with two years of experience become sales managers. Retail reps become store managers. Directors become vice presidents. At first glance it all looks like a healthy round of promotions and upward mobility.

But is a rep with two years of experience really ready to be a sales manager? Who are they kidding? Do you really have what it takes to run a chain of 35 retail stores in a region if you've only been a store manager for a year at the other carrier? No matter how attractive the offer, be sure you take a close look at the responsibility of that position before you accept.

For many carriers, employee churn is a bigger problem than customer churn. Another group of sales reps gets picked off with every new launch. They ask for a show of hands: "How many of you have been selling wireless for at least five years?" Everyone looks around in confusion. (They're waiting for them to ask, "Who's been here less than six months?") And the sales manager -- who's been there for two years after being promoted from a corporate rep -- is nervously shuffling the sales report as he tries to figure out why they are at only 43% of quota. What is the likely solution? Call marketing, and ask for another promo.

I'm not just describing a temporary glitch in the system or exaggerating a simple case of growing pains. I'm talking about a full-scale, nationwide crisis that literally could undo the industry. The human-resource infrastructure is falling apart completely.

Many managers simply do not have the tools or the experience to manage their people. The subordinates know it, and they get frustrated. The managers lash out. Morale falls. Fingers start to point.

And this is a time when management is needed the most. Almost every carrier is in the middle of executing a convergence strategy, where wireless, wireline and content/service teams will form to present a unified product offering to the business community. How well could you stack up to your counterparts in the long-distance and telephone-operations industries?

If the wireless industry hopes to survive its own convergence, it had better make some changes and fast. Career consultants are offering companies some new advice on how to handle the wireless job market. By knowing what recommendations your employer or potential employer is receiving, you'll know what to expect in your job search.

For example, companies are being warned that employee retention should be a top priority at all levels of the organization. Quarterly reviews should be replaced with real career planning and assessment. Companies should make you feel as if there is a defined career path within the company. They might be switching gears by not promoting people with inferior skill sets just because they want to hire from the outside.

The answer to reducing employee churn doesn't lie in compensation alone. Companies are encouraged to not buy employees because it creates a negative precedent. When you show your employer an official offer letter, don't be surprised if it does not immediately try to beat the offer. If it does, the message it would be sending is: "You're right. We haven't been paying you what you're worth, and this letter proves it."

If you decide to leave your current employer, remember the door swings both ways. Many employees are returning to their previous employers after realizing that the grass really isn't greener on the other side.

Companies are encouraged to conduct extensive training about wireless competition. Recruiters warn employers not to be naive because everyone in the sales and management teams probably has been contacted. Therefore, companies should be educating employees. After all, the more you know about the competition and the industry in general, the more likely you'll feel good about the company you work for. It's astounding how many people within an organization have no idea what the grand plan is, have never heard of convergence and have no comprehension of the opportunities that lie ahead for them. So they churn and get a promotion at the same time. That's a dangerous trend.

Make sure your employer or potential employer has a game plan for training employees, logical promotion and sensible hiring. Otherwise you could be taking on a responsibility that you're really not ready for.