Well-Intentioned Disaster: When Promotions Derail Your Best People
Why we keep screwing up the manager transition—and how to stop doing it
The Promotion Trap
Every year, like bad seasonal allergies, leadership teams gather to talk succession planning. And every year, they pull the same stunt: “This person’s amazing at what they do. Let’s make them a manager!”
As if people leadership is just... more of the same, but with a Slack channel called #myteam.
So we pluck top performers from their craft—design, sales, engineering, whatever—and drop them into an entirely different job. One that requires a whole new skill set. One they weren’t trained for. One that nobody’s really explained.
And then we act shocked when they flail. Turns out, being good at the job is not equal to being good at managing people. Go figure.
Read it again. Etch it into your glass office wall. Tattoo it on the inside of every VP’s eyelids.
Managing is not a “next step.” It’s a shift. It’s a rewire. And it demands a new identity: from doing the work to creating the conditions for others to do it well.
That’s not a reward. That’s a responsibility. And most of us are handing it out like free tote bags at an offsite.
Here’s what happens next:
That star performer—the one everyone adored? They start doubting themselves.
They’re not leading well. Their team’s not clicking.
And suddenly the hallway whispers start:
“Maybe they’re not really leadership material.”
All because we set them up to fail.
And if they leave? You’ve not only lost a great manager—you’ve lost someone who used to be your very best. The boomerang odds? Slim. The hit to morale? Guaranteed.
Train Before You Promote. No, Seriously.
First things first: ask the damn question.
“Do you even want to be a people manager?”
Wild, right? But you'd be shocked how often we skip it—either because we assume the answer, or because we’ve decided the only way up is through a team of direct reports. (That’s a whole other rant.)
If they say yes—and actually mean it—then you start the training. Because come on, you wouldn’t shove someone on stage without rehearsal. So why are we handing out management titles like party favors?
Build a pre-promotion runway. Give them a leadership preview. Let them feel the job before they commit to it. Let them lead a team meeting. Handle a conflict. Experience what it’s like when someone breaks down in a 1:1 or rage-quits on a Tuesday.
This isn’t about slowing them down. It’s about not setting them—and their team—on fire.
Promote them, sure. Just don’t promote them blind.
And when you do promote them, remember: they’re still learning. They will fumble. They will make it weird. And for some reason, we like to wait until someone’s fully engulfed in flames before we hand them a fire extinguisher.
Newsflash: the first time a new manager meets a coach shouldn’t be during a “we need to talk” meeting.
Give them a coach from the start. Someone they can ask the dumb stuff in private. Let them practice feedback, conflict, delegation—the awkward bits—before it tanks morale.
Bonus points? Pair them with seasoned leaders who’ve been through it. Real mentors. The ones with stories, scars, and receipts. Or better yet, hook them up with your HR folks—the really good ones. The ones who’ve seen the carnage when a bad manager gets left alone too long.
HR knows where the bodies are buried. Let them keep new ones from being added to the pile.
Let’s Stop Confusing Promotions With Progress.
A promotion is not proof of leadership. It’s a test of it. And if you want people to pass? Stop tossing them the baton and walking away. Coach them. Challenge them. Stay with them.
Because when a manager thrives, a team thrives.
And when they don’t? You don’t just lose a manager. You lose the person they used to be.
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