COO Gretchen Selfridge is Chipotle’s top female executive, but she wasn’t poached from another fast-food chain. Lidia Castillo, a Chipotle restaurateur making $99,000/year, wasn’t recruited from outside either. In fact, Selfridge started as a manager, while Castillo began in an entry-level position.

Chipotle’s restaurateur program emphasizes internal promotion. Other companies base promotions/raises on sales, but Chipotle measures how effective one is at mentoring colleagues.

I think this is a prime example of a productive incentive. Employees help grow corporate culture because they’re rewarded for it. Promotion makes them feel valued, and their new position gives them the incentive and  influence they need to continue mentoring others.

In my opinion, professionals seeking executive positions at new firms often feel like they’ve already gained everything they could from their past job. They’re choosing to jump ship to help themselves. “Me” matters more than “The Company”.

Maybe it’s a far stretch, but I think Chipotle’s successful promotion system mirrors the military. Generals start out as cadets. These soldiers are promoted based on how well they lead others, not on how many men they kill. And it’s easy to see why generals aren’t recruited from other nations’ armies – there’s no loyalty.

Connecting back to business, I know I’d work harder for a company where there’s room to grow. Raises are a bonus, but the focus would be to help grow the company that helped me grow.

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References:

Article/Text Hyperlinks: http://www.businessinsider.com/from-chipotle-manager-to-executive-2014-11

http://www.businessinsider.com/chipotle-internal-promotion-program-2014-4

Image Source: http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/545909d4ecad04f6288b4570-480/gretchen-selfridge-chipotle.jpg