The hardest promotion conversation isn't with the person who's ready.
This piece was originally shared on LinkedIn in response to recurring conversations with founders and leadership teams around this topic.
I’m publishing it here as part of an ongoing body of thinking around restaurant strategy, market entry, and operational decision-making.
The hardest promotion conversation isn't with the person who's ready.
It's with the person who thinks they are.
When that gap exists, the manager has to own it. At some point, communication broke down.
The signals that someone is genuinely ready are usually obvious before the title changes:
- They're already doing the job, even without the formalisation
- The day-to-day looks effortless, and they have it in hand
- People go to them naturally, without being directed
- You're leaving them alone, not needing to get into the details
- They're coming with ideas and pushing to grow things
There’s a development plan problem when someone doesn't fit that picture but believes they do.
To support the progression, map out their next steps as objectives and clarify what still needs to be achieved.
Those conversations should be regular 1-1s, not annual reviews. They should be in the diary and a commitment both parties stick to.
The clearer this plan is, the easier these conversations are.
When everyone is working from the same plan, everyone wins. You're advancing careers, increasing retention, upskilling the team and laddering up to the business objectives
Since first sharing this, I’ve seen the same issue surface repeatedly — particularly with businesses entering new markets or scaling too quickly. The underlying challenge is rarely strategy itself, but how early decisions constrain execution later.
Andrew Jobes is the founder of Jobes & Co., a Dubai-based advisory working with restaurant and hospitality businesses across the Middle East and international markets.