In my work as a human resources management consultant, I’m often asked a key question by clients: Should an employee be promoted only after acquiring the necessary capabilities, or should they be promoted first and then developed afterward?At the heart of this question lies the nature of the role being considered for promotion—whether it is a position that requires skill development to perform competently, or one that depends on the trust of others to be effective.Viewed through this lens, most people can understand that for lower-level roles, especially those focused on technical execution, promotions are usually based on the employee already possessing a solid skill foundation and being capable of handling more responsibilities. However, there are many cases where, even if an employee hasn’t fully met the skill requirements for a position, as long as they have potential and a willingness to learn, a promotion can actually trigger greater motivation to grow and fill the gaps. This “promote-then-develop” approach is common and reasonable in technical or operational roles—it’s not necessarily a mismatch or a compromise.
But what if the promotion involves becoming a People Manager or moving into a more senior management position?
Can this same logic still apply?
The answer is: not necessarily. That’s because these kinds of roles require more than just technical skills—they are built on a foundation of trust from the team and colleagues. The trust in question here is not the employee’s trust in others, but rather how much trust others—including supervisors, subordinates, and peers—have in the potential promotee.
If a candidate hasn’t built sufficient trust before being promoted, it will often be even harder to gain that trust once they are in the management position. Trust cannot be force-fed or instantly earned—it is accumulated over time through consistent behavior and demonstrated values.
On the other hand, if the candidate has already earned broad trust in their current role, even if they still have room to grow in some management skills, the challenges they’ll face in the new role are likely to be more manageable—because of the trust that supports them.
Rather than endlessly debating whether one should have “the capability first” or “build the capability later,” we should focus on this essential question: When considering whether to promote someone into a People Leader role, the most critical evaluation criterion is whether they have already earned stable and widespread trust within the team.
Ultimately, management is built on trust. Only with trust can a leadership role function effectively and foster a healthy, sustainable team dynamic.
