Lead 1, 2, 3
Steps to become a Lead Candidate
ProVantage Corporate Solutions | 2021
Interested in becoming a Lead Candidate?
At ProVantage, one of the best opportunities is the opportunity to advance your career. Many of our Field Managers (FMs) and Project Managers (PMs) started their careers as Field Representatives (Field Reps), sometimes referred to as ‘Laborers.’ These individuals worked hard, displayed commitment, and jumped in to help their teams in any way possible.
Essentially, they displayed our core values. Over time, these employees advanced up the ladder to management positions. You can too!
This article will teach you the nuts and bolts of becoming a Lead along with expectations of the position. Read on to discover if you are ready to take the first step in becoming a Lead Candidate.
stewards of our culture
Placing the team’s need above your own (We Before Me), taking action or responsibility when it doesn’t benefit you personally (Do the Right Thing), working with a purpose, and doing the best you can with what (or who) you have (Spirit of Excellence), sharing new ways to speed work, improve quality or enhance safety (Innovate to Elevate), and expressing gratitude or giving without expecting anything in return (Grace Through Generosity) will position any employee for success and recognition.
But what then? Will displaying our values automatically get me promoted? If I want to grow, how can I accelerate it? The good news is that there is a defined way to advance up the career ladder.
"The good news is that there is a defined way to
advance up the career ladder."
As we head into 2021, the ‘Lead Candidate Program’ has been solidified and documented to put in place well-defined requirements, expectations, and timelines on how a Field Representative can transform into a Lead. The Lead role is arguably the most important position in ProVantage.
Every job requires one or more teams and each team requires a Lead, so without Leads, we cannot staff teams, which means we cannot perform a job, which in turn results in lost revenue and business decline. Having a robust cadre of Leads is essential to our business growth, but ProVantage Leads carry even greater importance – they are the stewards of our culture.
The image of ProVantage that a new employee has is generated in large part by the attitude, maturity, professionalism, and caring nature of our Leads. The vast majority of ProVantage employees may not get the opportunity to visit the Raleigh, NC corporate office or spend a large amount of time with our managers and leaders during field visits.
So, it is our Leads who have the greatest impact on our new hires and our clients. It is critical that all Leads exemplify our values, care for our employees, and represent our spirit of excellence to our clients. This is why more structure and oversight has been brought to the process of identifying, training, and promoting high performing employees to the position of Lead. Leads are the lifeblood of ProVantage.
"The Lead role is arguably the most important
position in ProVantage...
Leads are the lifeblood of ProVantage."
Step 1
The identification of a Lead Candidate begins with an employee showing a ‘spark.’ ‘Sparks’ are on-time for their shifts, looking the part and always prepared. They participate in shift meetings, seek to solve problems on their own if possible, ask questions when needed, work safely, and are team players – in short, they are great examples of our ‘We Before Me’ value.
Current Leads, visiting FMs, PMs, Directors, and members of the Executive Management Team (EMT) are constantly looking for sparks. Once identified, they are promoted by their Operations Directors to the position of ‘Lead in Training (LIT) and often receive a small wage increase.
Promotion to LIT is the first step in the journey to Lead.
Step 2
LITs are enrolled in the Lead Candidate Program and assigned to a ‘Training Lead’ who will guide them through a defined 200-hour training curriculum. In the past, there have been LITs who drifted from job to job and spent months or even years without any measurable advancement towards the Lead position. No longer.
LITs will have 200-hours to show their mettle and acquire the hard and soft skills required to be a ProVantage Lead. Some will ‘wash out’ of the program and return to a Field Representative role, some will require more training and could be advanced to Assistant Lead, but those who have worked hard, live our values, have mastered the Cruxos mobile app, and have demonstrated the ability to lead and manage projects, will be promoted to a ‘Lead (Lead Candidate [NLC]).’
Step 3
As a Supervisor (NLC), the employee will quickly be assigned to a job where they will be evaluated as they run the assignment on their own (with oversight from an FM). Upon a successful evaluation, the Supervisor (NLC) is promoted to ‘Lead’ and awarded with a pay increase. Should the Supervisor (NLC) falter on the evaluation, they may revert to a LIT for more training or receive a promotion to ‘Assistant Lead’ to gain more experience.
Are you Lead In Training material?
Check out the list below for the formal criteria to be considered for
promotion to LIT
(the first step to your goal of becoming a Lead Candidate Program)
Lead In Training
formal criteria:
Our Client Services department within ProVantage Operations, tracks and administers the Lead Candidate Program. They work to oversee the discovery of sparks, take ownership of newly promoted LITs, and drive their training with the assistance of a select group of Training Leads. Provided the requirements noted above are met, all field employees may take advantage of the program. Advancement to LIT, Supervisor (NLC), and finally Lead often comes
with incremental pay increases, however, we caution employees from seeking advancement through the program if increased compensation is their primary motivator. A LIT, Supervisor (NLC), and even Leads can be demoted (with a corresponding loss in wage) if they fail to achieve and maintain the expectations of the role. Those who are unwilling to accept increased responsibility and accountability for the teams they lead should not apply.
While becoming a Lead may not be for everyone, those with management aspirations now have a program where they can grow their careers and become instrumental in ProVantage’s success.
Dependable employees who live our values and enhance our brand while delivering services to our clients are always in high demand.
A long future with ProVantage only steps away for those who are motivated to seek it out.
Are you ready to grow with ProVantage?