Imagine a corporate world where ambition is celebrated with fervour, propelling individuals towards their goals and aspirations. Some express their ambitions vocally, while others operate quietly, letting their work speak for itself. This ‘quiet ambition’ is often overlooked, yet it can significantly hinder succession planning within organisations.
“Quietly ambitious individuals often prefer to work diligently in the background, without seeking the limelight. Consequently, they may not be on the radar of senior leadership or succession-planning committees. This lack of visibility can result in their talents and potential being overlooked,” points out Sunil Singh, senior HR leader. In such a scenario, decision makers may not recognise the full extent of their capabilities, leading to missed opportunities for career advancement.
In many succession-planning discussions, the selection process relies heavily on manager recommendations or internal procedures such as panel assessments.
Therefore, it’s highly probable that many potential successors for a role will not even be considered.
“Quietly ambitious individuals often prefer to work diligently in the background, without seeking the limelight. Consequently, they may not be on the radar of senior leadership or succession-planning committees. This lack of visibility can result in their talents and potential being overlooked.”
Sunil Singh, senior HR leader
Quietly ambitious individuals may also struggle to effectively communicate their aspirations and qualifications for leadership roles. “Their understated approach to self-promotion can lead to misunderstandings and a lack of alignment between their career goals and the organisation’s needs,” observes Praveen Purohit, deputy CHRO, Vedanta Resources.
This lack of visibility and underestimation of their potential make individuals feel dissatisfied, disengaged and undervalued. Moreover, if they start to perceive that their organisation does not value or nurture their aspirations, they may seek opportunities elsewhere.
“Those who remain unidentified and feel undervalued may start contemplating their own paths. They begin to think about what truly resonates with them and where their passions lie. It’s not merely about the organisation they belong to, but more about their unique personality and aspirations,” believes Singh.
Both Singh and Purohit are of the opinion that this form of ambition can be a challenge to succession planning. Suchismita Burman, senior HR leader believes that since succession planning is not a one-size-fits-all approach, the trend (quiet ambition) may not have an immediate impact on succession planning.
However, she feels that quiet ambition may impact an organisation’s ability to establish a pipeline of capabilities that will be needed in the future. “It’s not so much about traditional succession planning, but ensuring that there is a pipeline of talent ready for the next three to five years.”
“The trend requires a significant cultural shift in the organisations, where it is not essential to have a stereotypical view of individuals. They should not hastily dismiss or pigeonhole someone solely because they express a desire for a particular role.”
Suchismita Burman, senior HR leader
She further explains that this trend is a result of increased opportunities and people aligning themselves with what truly makes sense for them. “This alignment is driven by the awareness that there are various options available for them to choose from,” she adds.
Therefore, to achieve a balance (integrating individuals with quiet ambition into succession planning), organisations must be very transparent and communicative to individuals on their career path.
Purohit asserts, “The majority of organisations are still falling short of the mark when transparently defining, communicating and documenting their succession plans. If they openly communicate and document these plans, it will transform ‘quiet ambition’ into ‘overt and evident ambition’, prompting people to step forward.”
Furthermore, instead of solely relying on internal manager recommendations and assessments, organisations should consider incorporating third-party evaluations and psychometric inputs into their processes.
Speaking from his own experience, Singh suggests, “Organisations can develop a system that matches individuals to suitable roles and provides insights into potential future roles they may excel in. For instance, conducting a mindset and personality inventory can reveal which roles a person may find interesting. When there’s a strong alignment, it empowers managers to have productive conversations with these individuals. They can say, ‘According to this report, you have potential in roles such as R&D leadership,’ which can motivate the person to open up and express their aspirations.”
“The majority of organisations are still falling short of the mark when transparently defining, communicating and documenting their succession plans. If they openly communicate and document these plans, it will transform ‘quiet ambition’ into ‘overt and evident ambition’, prompting people to step forward.”
Praveen Purohit, deputy CHRO, Vedanta Resources
Leveraging these tools can help predict individuals’ suitability for various roles, allowing organisations to engage in more meaningful conversations with their employees. Ultimately, this approach assists in future-proofing leadership and helps employees identify their career paths and express their ambitions more openly.
Burman also advises, “Mentoring and coaching can be customised to support the development of individuals with subtle ambition aiming for leadership or senior roles. Leaders must help individuals in making informed decisions by assisting individuals on their journey, posing pertinent questions and offering guidance.”
Burman also feels that the trend requires a significant cultural shift in the organisations, where it is not essential to have a stereotypical view of individuals. They should not hastily dismiss or pigeonhole someone solely because they express a desire for a particular role. “It involves simple considerations, such as if someone wishes to take a sabbatical, they should be able to do so without it being misconstrued as a lack of commitment to their career. The organisation’s approach to candidates returning from sabbaticals plays a crucial role.
Clearly, “both the individual and the organisation need to make an effort, but the culture should be marked by acceptance,” concludes Burman.
1 Comment
Since when did the KPI and KRA became a totally diofferent concept in todays
‘s world. It seems that it is the sole responsibility of intellects like you to tell them the actual meaning of the KPI and KRAs.
Let me tell you. There was no such thing as KPI and KRA for individuals. It was in the early 70s that Performance appraisal was done on the budget prepared by the Accounts dept by the Plant head. The review of the budget and its allocation was done correctly or does it need appraisal is called Performance appraisal of the budget.
Woo did this blunder of converting the KPI and KRAs on Individuals.
Also the basic KRI and KPI was If a person is good in his KRA he could work till he retires. But he needs to meet his KPI in order to get his salary incremented.