Better is better.

It isn’t a case of whoever waited for the longest at the front of the line gets the best seat in the house.

Should the skater who practiced the most hours win the medal, even though they didn’t manage to land their triple axel perfectly? Or should the skater who didn’t practice as many hours but has a natural flair for the sport and lands all their jumps perfectly claim the top spot?

Should the student who studied into the wee hours of the night automatically get an A+? Or should the math prodigy who seems to have been born with an understanding of algebra get the top score on the exam?

These are just some examples of why I find promotions based on tenure are so… bizarre.

If you work as a teller for several years at bank branch A, should that automatically make you a great candidate for a promotion?

What if you’ve spent years as a junior accountant hoping to be promoted based on tenure but there are still calculation errors on over 50% of the financial statements you’ve handled? Should you still get a promotion even though you are delivering subpar work? We all believe we are above average workers but mistakes like errors in your work, missing deadlines, going over budget…are hard to hide and add a sense of objectivity. If you run a business and offer a job to a candidate who may not be the best fit for a senior or management role, but just because they’ve been with you for a long time, you will want to press pause on that and really reflect on this, because this decision will not do anyone any favours.

Why?

Because your employee will think that they are really operating at a standard that’s acceptable to you to receive a promotion (a promotion is offering affirmation), and it also tells current and prospective customers that this is the level you are operating at.

While time can help you accumulate experience and improve your skillset, sometimes we just have to acknowledge that there are outliers who have a natural genius for an industry.

The 30-year old who’s a Sales Director of a multi-billion company.

The 27-year old who’s got their own show on Netflix.

The teenager with millions of devoted fans on TikTok.

I could devote all my days to scrolling through TikTok and my content just won’t be as great. I could try my hand at acting, but I don’t really know how to play any character other than myself. I accept that there may be a younger, brighter marketer out there who can deliver a more engaging campaign and drive great results.

Instead of staying somewhere and wishing for a promotion, or being bitter about why you were passed over for a promotion, go find your edge. Reflect on your own skills — are you just in a spot that’s not able to make the best use of your skills? Are you truly the best candidate for the promotion if the decision is based on skill set, growth prospects with a company, and the value you could bring to the company? In other words, not just based on…time?

I think there are more companies nowadays that are taking the lead in promoting based on merit, but there is still a big portion that is promoting based on tenure.

The next time you are facing a decision on who to promote within the company (or even bring in an external candidate), remember that you have the duty to do what’s best for your company, and just because an employee has been with you for a long time doesn’t mean they are the best choice for the role.

Better is better.