The Leadership Trap: Why High Performers Struggle in Management Roles

I've been reflecting a lot on a common issue I see in organizations: promoting individual contributors to leadership roles not because of their leadership aptitude or desire to lead, but as a reward for being high achievers. While it seems like a logical progression—rewarding top performers with advancement—this often sets them up for failure. These well-meaning high achievers suddenly find themselves responsible for leading a team, only to realize they lack the necessary skills—and sometimes the desire—to manage or lead effectively.

We assume (or hope) that a baptism by fire approach will work, and that they’ll quickly “pick up” the skills needed to support and grow their staff. But the reality is far more complex. Many times, I’ve seen incredibly talented professionals feel overwhelmed, unprepared, and even regretful about their new responsibilities.

The Misstep: Confusing Achievement with Leadership

I’ve seen this dynamic play out across a variety of industries:

• Architects who excel at designing are suddenly tasked with managing large, international, and remote project teams.

• Nurses who are highly skilled in patient care get promoted to Nurse Manager, now responsible for both patients and the well-being of their nursing staff.

• Teachers who know how to connect with students become Principals, thrust into the world of managing budgets, staff, and disciplinary issues without preparation.

• IT rockstars find themselves promoted to IT Manager, only to discover that instead of doing the hands-on work they love, they’re now spending their time navigating team dynamics and meetings.

These promotions are well-intended, but they often leave new leaders struggling to adapt. When faced with unfamiliar challenges, many of these new managers revert to the ineffective management practices they’ve experienced themselves—defaulting to the same old-school approaches to meetings, performance conversations, and team leadership that were never particularly effective.

Why This Happens

Promotions based solely on individual achievement overlook a crucial truth: being an excellent individual contributor requires a different skill set than being an effective manager or leader. Yet, many organizations fail to recognize this. Instead, they assume that technical expertise or high performance in a previous role will naturally translate into leadership success.

Unfortunately, this overlooks two key factors:

1. Leadership requires a completely different skill set—one that involves emotional intelligence, team development, communication, and conflict resolution.

   
   

2. Not everyone wants to lead. Just because someone excels in their role doesn’t mean they want to give up the work they love for a leadership position that’s more focused on managing people and processes.

   
   

The Cost of “Sink or Swim” Leadership

When organizations promote high performers without preparing them for leadership, it leads to frustration—for both the new leader and their team. These individuals quickly realize that their day-to-day responsibilities no longer align with the work they enjoyed, and they don’t have the tools to effectively lead. In turn, their teams may feel unsupported or mismanaged, and the organization suffers from a lack of strong leadership.

This "sink or swim" mentality also creates a sense of regret, both for the organization and the individual. Companies may regret promoting someone who isn’t thriving in their new role, while the new leader may regret taking on a position they weren’t ready for—or even one they didn’t truly want in the first place.

Let’s Be More Intentional

The solution isn’t to stop promoting high performers; it’s to be more intentional about how and when we promote them. Before handing over the reins, we need to:

1. Develop potential leaders before we promote them. Provide training in leadership, people management, and communication skills long before someone steps into a management role. Let them practice and learn the tools they’ll need to succeed.

2. Be clear about what the new role entails. Don’t promote someone into a leadership role without a candid conversation about what their new day-to-day responsibilities will look like. Make sure they understand that management involves much more than just doing more of what made them successful as individual contributors.

3. Ask if they actually want to lead. Not everyone wants to manage a team, and that’s okay. Create career advancement opportunities that don’t require management for those who prefer to deepen their expertise rather than transition into leadership roles.

A New Approach to Leadership Development

Promoting high performers can still be a path to success—but only if we prepare them properly. By giving people the skills and clarity they need before promoting them, we set them—and their teams—up for long-term success. Let’s stop assuming that great individual performance automatically translates into great leadership. Instead, let’s invest in training, mentorship, and honest conversations so that our future leaders are ready to thrive—and so they don’t end up regretting the move into management. When we take this approach, everyone benefits: the leaders, the teams they manage, and the organizations that rely on their success.