Before Promoting a High Performer: Watch for 3 Warning Signs
Mar 07, 2026
I’m kicking today’s blog off with story time.
Once upon a time, long, long ago, I worked with an extraordinary director.
His production skills were remarkable. His standards were incredibly high. Together, we created award-winning content that made the whole organization proud. We could finish each other's sentences. We were both results driven and bottom line thinkers.
On paper, promoting him into a leadership role seemed like an obvious decision.
So I did and that’s when the wheels fell off.
What made him exceptional as a director did not translate into leadership. His communication skills were terrible. He struggled to explain his process and was unable to teach others how to achieve the same results. Team members grew frustrated. Morale dropped. Eventually, people dreaded working with him.
The organization suffered and so did I.
It was one of the most valuable leadership lessons of my career: high performers don’t always make great leaders.
Harvard Business School professor Linda Hill, who studies leadership transitions, has found that many new managers struggle because they were promoted for individual achievements rather than their ability to lead others.
Some traits look like leadership on the surface but turn out to be smoke and mirrors once someone is responsible for a team.
Three Traits That Look Like Leadership but Aren’t
1. The “Loudest Voice in the Room”
Confidence can be an asset. But volume and certainty are not the same as leadership.
Some employees dominate meetings and push ideas aggressively, creating the impression of decisiveness. But real leadership requires listening, synthesizing perspectives, and bringing others along.
Former CEO Alan Mulally, who helped turn around Ford Motor Company, said:
“The leader’s job is to create an environment where the truth can be heard.”
Watch for: Confidence that crowds out collaboration.
2. The “Hero Performer”
This is the person who saves the day repeatedly, fixes problems no one else can, and carries the team on their back.
Hero performance is valuable but doesn’t necessarily translate into leadership. These employees often solve problems themselves instead of teaching others or building systems for long-term success.
Management expert Peter Drucker warned:
“The leaders who work most effectively never say ‘I.’”
Watch for: People who repeatedly rescue situations but don’t develop others to prevent the problems in the first place.
3. The “Perfect Yes Person”
Some employees are easy to work with because they rarely challenge decisions. They say yes. They follow directions. They avoid conflict.
At first glance, this feels like loyalty. But organizations need leaders who can think critically and speak up when something isn’t working.
Former Intel CEO Andy Grove said:
“Only the paranoid survive.”
Leadership isn’t about blind agreement. It’s about courage to challenge, question, and improve.
Watch for: People who support leaders but rarely bring alternative perspectives.
The Real Test of Promotion Readiness
High performance is just the starting point. Leadership readiness requires something deeper:
- The ability to develop others
- The capacity to communicate and influence effectively while asking numerous questions to seek understanding
- The courage to challenge ideas constructively
- A mindset that puts team and organization above self
Reflecting back on my extraordinary director, I see the lesson clearly: being exceptional in your craft doesn’t automatically prepare you to lead. Promotions are about people, influence, and guidance not just output.
If you’re a leader making promotion decisions, remember this: the wrong promotion doesn’t just affect one person. It affects everyone they lead and your entire organization.
If you’re a high performer eyeing the next role, ask yourself:
"Am I ready to lead others as well as I lead myself?" The answer for most people is NO.
Gallup research shows only about 10 percent of people make that transition from high performer to leader well.
The skills that make you brilliant at what you do, don’t always make you brilliant at leadership.
Promotions should reward leadership potential, not just performance. Recognizing the difference is one of the most important skills a leader can develop. I learned that the hard way. Hopefully you won't have to, and story time will end with..."they all lived happily ever after."
You know that ONLY happens in fairytales, right? Reality isn't perfect and neither are leaders. As leaders we live, learn and improve every day. That's what really makes for a happy ending.