Operating Principle

2–4 min read

The Best Performer Is Often the Worst Promotion

The Best Performer Is Often the Worst Promotion

The Best Performer Is Often the Worst Promotion

Promoting your top individual contributor can cost you your best worker and hand you a poor manager.

Promoting your top individual contributor can cost you your best worker and hand you a poor manager.

Promoting your top individual contributor can cost you your best worker and hand you a poor manager.

Individual excellence and managerial skill are only weakly correlated. Promoting the best performer removes a strong producer and installs someone whose skills may not transfer.

Individual excellence and managerial skill are only weakly correlated. Promoting the best performer removes a strong producer and installs someone whose skills may not transfer.

Individual excellence and managerial skill are only weakly correlated. Promoting the best performer removes a strong producer and installs someone whose skills may not transfer.

Current-role excellence and management aptitude are only weakly correlated.

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Operating Question

What behavior, decision right, or attention pattern is this leadership system reinforcing?

What behavior, decision right, or attention pattern is this leadership system reinforcing?

What behavior, decision right, or attention pattern is this leadership system reinforcing?

Why It Matters

Current-role excellence and management aptitude are only weakly correlated.

Supporting Evidence

Laurence Peter; sales-to-management research.

Research Notes

Treat the finding as an operating lens and calibrate it to team size, stakes, and organizational context.

Practical Actions

Assess management aptitude; create IC tracks; pilot new managers.

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