Practice Before Promotion

Learn the job before you have the title—not after

Christian Idiodi
The essence of product management | Christian Idiodi (SVPG)

Practice Before Promotion

"If you come to me and say, 'Oh, I need to get promoted to be a director.' You know what I say? I say, 'Go be a director. You don't need a title. Let me tell you what a director does. And you're going to work with me over the next couple of months to do those things because I am promoting you to do the job, not to learn the job.'" - Christian Idiodi

What It Is

Practice Before Promotion is a leadership development principle that flips the traditional promotion model: instead of giving someone a title and then expecting them to learn the role, you have them practice the role's responsibilities before earning the title.

The core insight is that the best time to learn how to be a VP is when you're not a VP—because that's when you can make mistakes safely, receive coaching openly, and practice without the full weight of the role's leverage.

How It Works

The Traditional (Broken) Model

  1. Lenny is a fantastic engineer, wins awards, picture on the wall
  2. After 8 years, Lenny wonders about career growth
  3. Next step on ladder is engineering manager
  4. Company promotes Lenny to keep him
  5. Lenny has never managed anyone in his life
  6. Lenny can't say "I don't know" now—he's the manager
  7. Lenny Googles "how to do an interview" and wings it
  8. Pattern repeats when Lenny promotes others the same way

The Problem

When you're promoted into a role:

  • You can't say "I don't know" without seeming incompetent
  • Your mistakes have high leverage—they impact your whole team
  • There's no safe space to practice
  • You fall back on bad patterns you've seen (like the CEO who screams because his boss screamed at him)

The Better Model

  1. Before promotion, identify what the next level actually does
  2. Create opportunities to practice those responsibilities at current level
  3. Get coaching and feedback while stakes are low
  4. Promote once you've demonstrated competence
  5. The person is ready to execute, not ready to learn

Why This Works

When you're NOT in the role:

  • You can make mistakes and nobody blames you ("he's just trying")
  • You can ask questions openly
  • You can receive feedback without defensiveness
  • Your failures don't cascade to your team
  • You get coverage and protection while learning

How to Apply It

For Leaders

  1. Identify succession candidates early - Don't wait until you need to promote
  2. Define the job clearly - What does a director actually do? A VP?
  3. Create practice opportunities - Give them director-level tasks before the title
  4. Coach during practice - Provide feedback while stakes are low
  5. Promote competence, not potential - They should be ready to do the job, not learn it

For Individuals

  1. Don't wait for the title - Ask what your target role actually involves
  2. Practice the work now - "Go be a director. You don't need a title."
  3. Seek coaching proactively - Find someone to give you feedback
  4. Make mistakes at current level - Better to fail now than after promotion
  5. Build evidence - When promotion time comes, you've already demonstrated capability

Specific Tactics

  • Interviews: Practice doing interviews before you're a hiring manager
  • Strategy: Participate in strategy work before you're responsible for it
  • People management: Start with one direct report before getting four
  • Presentations: Present to executives before your role requires it

When to Use It

  • Developing high-potential employees - Create practice opportunities systematically
  • Succession planning - Prepare successors before you need them
  • Self-development - Don't wait for permission to learn the next level
  • Avoiding Peter Principle failures - Promote demonstrated competence, not potential
  • Coaching conversations - Redirect "I want to be promoted" to "Let's practice the role"

Common Anti-Patterns

Anti-Pattern Why It Fails
Promote first, train later No safe space for mistakes
"Sink or swim" High leverage failures hurt teams
GPM with 4 reports but no management experience Practice bad patterns on 4 people
Outsourcing development ("go take a class") Classes don't equal practice
Manager never demonstrates the skill "Most people can only give what they've received"

Source

  • Guest: Christian Idiodi
  • Episode: "The essence of product management | Christian Idiodi (SVPG)"
  • Key Discussion: (01:04:31) - Christian explains the pattern of promoting people to incompetence
  • Solution: (01:08:52) - "Go be a director. You don't need a title."
  • YouTube: Watch on YouTube

Related Frameworks

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