Why your high performer is a terrible manager and how you can help them

What do you do with your star player who is struggling in their leadership position?

I hear this a lot from my clients and nearly every time it could be avoided with some simple planning and a sustained commitment to support and development. 

Does this situation sound familiar? You've got a fantastic salesperson.  They are someone who consistently hits every target, outperforms their colleagues and is all round brilliant at what they do.  So much so that you decide to promote them to the role of sales manager in recognition of their talent.  But fast forward six months and this person is struggling in their new role. They find it a daily challenge to delegate tasks, motivate their team and resolve conflicts. 

So why is this person struggling to adapt to life as a new manager when they were such a high performer?

Research carried out by the Centre for Creative Leadership indicates that around 40% of new leaders fail within their first 18 months, mostly due to their inability to handle the associated mental stress, pressure, and responsibility.  Organisations make the common mistake of thinking that high performance equals high leadership potential.  But brilliant individual contributors don’t always translate into great leaders.

Not everyone is meant to lead

Not everyone is cut out for leadership, and that’s no mark against them. Brilliant performers are often rewarded with direct reports and a management title when their work is top-notch, but they have no management skills or desire to manage employees. Leadership requires specific personality traits such as empathy, decisiveness, resilience, and the ability to carry a lot of responsibility and loneliness. We’ve probably all met more bad leaders than good ones. Moreover, a management role can spread talented workers thin and distract them from the very thing that made them outstanding in the first place. Meanwhile, their team may suffer while the flailing new manager is left to figure things out.

Organisations also run the risk of overlooking less experienced team members who display leadership tendencies because their impact is more difficult to measure on an individual level. Holding back natural leaders in favour of high performers because they're afraid to lose employees and their brilliant individual contributors.

So, what's the answer? How do we create leaders of the future but also find ways to help people progress their careers who maybe don’t want to be people managers? And how can we make sure that the people we do choose to lead can do so successfully?

The Managerial Misconception

There is a common misconception that the only way to reward and retain top performers is by promoting them to managerial roles. This approach overlooks the drastic shift in responsibilities and skill sets required when transitioning from a high performing individual to a manager.  High performers often find themselves at a crossroads at which they must choose between remaining in their current role or accepting a managerial position.  Too often it’s the only way they can keep growing. This dilemma often stems from the fear that denying a promotion might halt their career progression.

Organisations who fail to realise that not everyone wants to be a manager and forcing an employee who isn't inherently a leader into a managerial role can lead to a lose-lose situation for both parties.  In fact, a CareerBuilder survey found that 34% of employees have no interest in leadership roles, favouring other options for career growth. This shows the gaping chasm between personal goals and the demands of leadership and might give you a clue as to why so many new leaders are floundering in their roles; they simply have no interest in the people aspect of the job.

People have to want to be a leader and manage people because it changes their priorities, how they work and how they spend their time. Anyone can develop a toolbox of skills, but you have to want to inspire, coach, motivate and mentor your team.

How do you identify your future leaders?

1. Do they have the motivation?

You have to know your employees very well to understand what motivates them.  Not all high achievers have the same motivation. Is it a constant need for achievement? Do they have an intrinsic need to advance? If you’re unsure what drives your best producers, ask them. Start by saying, “You get a lot done and you do it well. What drives you to achieve at that level?” Have an honest conversation, and it won’t take very long for you to figure out what’s motivating them.  Once you know what people want and why, you can match what you can offer to what they truly need and want. Offer training and development so they can work in another group, suggest they switch jobs so they can learn new skills, send them to conferences, classes or introduce them to a potential mentor for their long-term goals.

2.Do they have the skills?

High performers undoubtedly have an excellent skill set. But does that include the skills to be a good manager? You need to know this before you even think about directing them to a leadership role.  If they are already informally helping and mentoring their peers that's normally a good indicator that they might be a good fit for a people management role. If you notice less experienced employees turning to them for help, that’s a good sign, especially if you see that your high performer enjoys the opportunity to help. Does your high performer always want to know the “why” behind their hard work? If so, they are probably a big-picture thinker who could make a great leader.

3.Prep them for leadership

Test your potential leaders ahead of time. If they’re not already mentoring their peers, ask them to do so and observe the results. Give them as many opportunities to lead as possible. Support them by offering managerial training opportunities. They don't need to be a manager already to benefit from this. Give feedback that will help shape them into a good leader and time to develop the new skillset. Prepare them for making the switch from “doing” to managing.

4.Don't expect brilliance from day one

If you move your top contributor from a doing to leading role, it’s completely normal to expect a drop off in the productivity of that team, at least temporarily. Don’t put them into a sink or swim scenario. 

From remote team building, AI, culture, cyber security the challenges that leaders face are changing often and fast. Leading people and organisations requires an ongoing commitment to learning and adaptability. With the right support and development, you can retain your top talent for many years to come and create a pipeline of leaders through the business. Which is a win-win for everyone.

When managers move into their new role, they have to make a shift in mindset from being part of a team to leading one, so offering them the right support at the very beginning will have a huge impact on how quickly they become comfortable in their new role. Coaching, mentoring and training can be great ways to achieve this and can also help to set the tone for your relationship with your first-time manager, by investing in them from the very start.  If you’re looking for a bespoke solution to support your new leaders,  get in touch to discuss how Amanda Owen Meehan Consulting can help your organisation