The Leadership Trap: Why Promoting the Best Performer Doesn’t Always Create the Best Leader
Introduction
It’s a story many businesses know too well: your star employee consistently outperforms the rest of the team. They know the systems, master the processes, and deliver results. When a management role opens, they feel like the obvious choice. Who better to lead than the person who knows the job inside out?
But soon after the promotion, the shine begins to fade. The person who was once the most reliable contributor is suddenly struggling. Their team isn’t inspired. Performance wobbles. And leadership potential doesn’t materialise.
Why? Because the skills that make someone great at their job don’t automatically make them a great leader. Leadership requires a different toolkit: the ability to motivate, delegate, coach, and strategise. Without proper preparation and support, businesses fall into the “promotion trap”, rewarding technical excellence with management responsibilities, often with damaging consequences.
Why Training Alone Isn’t Enough
Many organisations try to solve this problem with training programs. A few days in a classroom, a binder of leadership frameworks, and some shiny slides. Box ticked.
But training on its own rarely creates transformation. Knowledge transfer does not equal behaviour change. The gap between theory and practice is wide, and when a new manager returns to the real-world pressures of their role, they often default to old habits.
This is where coaching makes the difference. Coaching supports leaders over the long term, turning theory into lived experience. It helps them reflect on real challenges, apply tools in context, and grow confidence in their leadership style. Without it, training risks being a one-off event rather than a lasting change.
Improving the Selection Process
The first step to solving the problem is prevention. Businesses need to rethink how they identify leadership potential.
Look beyond technical expertise.
Technical brilliance matters, but leadership is about people, vision, and influence. Selection processes must evaluate whether a candidate can inspire and bring others with them.Assess motivation.
Does the individual genuinely want to be a leader, or do they just want the recognition, pay rise, or status that comes with promotion? If it’s the latter, businesses should consider alternative progression routes. For example, technical specialists or senior contributors who are rewarded without being forced into management.Evaluate soft skills.
Emotional intelligence, communication, resilience, and empathy are often better indicators of leadership success than technical know-how. Structured assessments and behavioural interviews can help uncover these qualities.
By looking at leadership potential through a wider lens, businesses can avoid the common trap of promoting someone into a role they neither want nor are suited to.
Supporting New Leaders the Right Way
Even with careful selection, leadership is a skill that must be developed. New managers need structured support that goes beyond induction training.
Training for fundamentals — such as conflict management, delegation, and performance conversations provides an essential foundation.
Coaching for application — gives individuals the space to explore their challenges, practice new behaviours, and build confidence in their own style.
Mentoring for perspective — pairing new leaders with experienced colleagues offers practical insight and reassurance.
This combined, long-term approach creates stability. It develops leaders who are equipped to handle complexity, build strong teams, and deliver sustained performance rather than quick fixes.
The Bigger Risk: Promoting the Wrong Leaders Altogether
An even more damaging situation arises when promotions are influenced less by potential and more by perception.
Some individuals are skilled at self-promotion. They ask for advancement, project ambition, and appear confident to senior leaders who are far removed from the day-to-day operations. On the surface, they look like the obvious choice for bigger leadership roles.
But behind the scenes, the story is different. Teams may see them as unpopular, controlling, or disconnected. They may lack the ability to build trust or bring people with them. They may be armed with credentials like an MBA or other training but without the practical leadership experience that earns genuine respect.
When such individuals rise through the ranks unchecked, the impact can be severe: demotivated teams, higher turnover, missed targets, and a culture of disengagement.
Warning Signs and What to Do About Them
Businesses need to watch for red flags:
High staff turnover in teams under a specific leader.
Persistent feedback from employees about poor communication or lack of support.
A leader who “manages up” well but struggles to inspire their own people.
Results that look good on the surface but don’t stand up to scrutiny over time.
When these warning signs appear, the worst thing a business can do is ignore them. Instead:
Intervene early with coaching, mentoring, and feedback.
Re-evaluate fit for leadership roles, sometimes the bravest decision is moving someone out of a position that doesn’t suit them.
Learn from the mistake, refining promotion processes to avoid repeating the same pattern.
Conclusion
Promoting the best individual contributor into leadership can feel like the natural next step, but without the right selection, preparation, and support, it often sets them up to fail.
True leadership development is not about ticking boxes with training, nor about rewarding ambition without substance. It’s about carefully identifying potential, ensuring the person actually wants the role, and then investing in their growth through training, coaching, and mentoring.
Done well, this creates leaders who inspire teams, drive performance, and build long-term business stability. Done poorly, it risks disengagement, wasted talent, and lasting damage.
The choice is clear, invest in leadership development the right way, and your people and your business will reap the rewards.