The "Trial Before Title" Method

Promoting from within is one of the smartest things a business can do…until it blows up in your face.

Promote someone too soon, and you risk breaking a great employee. Pass them over, and you could lose them entirely.

So, how do you give someone a shot without gambling the business?

At The Scalable Company, we use a low-risk, high-opportunity approach we call: “Trial Before Title.”

Here’s how it works...

Promotions don’t start with potential…they start with performance.

So, we don’t even talk about promoting someone unless they’re already crushing it in their current role.

That means:

Don’t promote someone just because they’ve been here a long time or they “deserve a chance.” The best predictor of future performance is current performance, so invest in people who have already proven they can deliver.

Next, we sit the person down and explain the role in detail. This includes:

You’d be surprised how many people want the idea of a promotion more than the reality of it, so give people the full picture upfront. It can save everyone a lot of pain later.

If you're considering someone for a role they don't fully qualify for on paper, be honest about it. Sit down with the candidate and walk through the role’s requirements. Show them exactly where they meet the mark, and where they don’t.

Then say something like:

Make it clear that these gaps aren’t disqualifying…if they were, you wouldn’t be having this conversation…but the presence of those gaps is why the next step is a trial, not a title.

Also, be upfront that a promotion isn’t guaranteed. Setting the expectation now helps avoid resentment later.

Bottom line: call out the gaps, explain the process, and reinforce your belief in their ability to rise to the challenge.

This is the proving ground.

For 4 to 8 weeks, the candidate splits time between their current role and the new one.

During this period:

They’re not in the new role yet…they’re auditioning for it.

Yes, it may mean extra hours, but that’s not punishment…it’s the price of opportunity.

The key is transparency. It’s a low-risk way for both sides to evaluate fit without commitment. No one’s locked into a bad situation. If it’s not a match, they simply return to their old role. No harm, no foul.

This is the most important part of the entire system: If the trial doesn’t work, they go back to their old role. No shame. No lost status.

The return path is what makes the trial asymmetric in terms of risk:

This gives people the confidence to say “yes” without fearing failure.

If the trial succeeds:

The transition is smooth because they’re stepping into a role they’ve already been performing. Best of all, it’s a promotion they have truly EARNED, not merely a promotion they were entitled to.

PRO TIP: Managers can request a one-time bonus after the fact to make up for the pay gap between what they would have earned during the trial period based on their new salary/comp plan, but it should never be promised upfront.

⚡ Action Step: Share this with your leadership team and ask, “Who on your team is ready for a trial?”

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