It’s common to promote high-achieving team members into leadership roles, only to see them struggle. Many organizations mistakenly believe that being great at a job translates automatically to being a great leader. However, the shift from individual problem-solver to someone who develops others often reveals significant gaps.
In my past career in Talent Development, I witnessed firsthand how promoting based on seniority or individual performance could quietly undermine teams and leave new leaders feeling frustrated, overwhelmed, and disengaged. This “promotion paradox” is prevalent across industries. While rewarding excellence is natural, the very traits that make someone a top performer—like independence and hands-on problem-solving—don’t always align with leadership needs. Gallup reports that companies often choose the wrong candidate for managerial roles because they prioritize past performance over leadership potential.
The Hybrid Reality of Modern Leadership
Many newly promoted leaders find themselves underprepared and under-resourced. With automation and leaner teams, leaders are now often responsible for both project delivery and managing people. They become a hybrid, part player and part coach, often without adequate support or clear expectations from upper management. This model, while seemingly efficient, creates tension: leaders are expected to empower others while still being deeply involved in execution, leading to confusion, burnout, and underperformance.
Leadership, isn’t about being the solution, but about creating space for others to find their own. Without this shift, even capable leaders risk becoming bottlenecks, protecting outcomes instead of developing their team.
The Weight of Old Expectations and Emotional Labor
When someone is promoted internally, old dynamics persist. Former peers, now direct reports, still see you as the “fixer.” When pressure mounts, they instinctively ask for help, and new leaders, often without clear boundaries, revert to executing tasks rather than coaching or delegating. This blurs roles, reinforces dependency, and hinders team growth. True leadership involves building capacity in others, shifting from hero to guide, and helping the entire team advance.
Most new managers anticipate workload challenges, but the real difficulty lies in managing human dynamics: conflict, motivation, mental health, and communication styles. In industries that value grit, the emotional labor of leadership is often overlooked. I once led a brilliant but emotionally challenging team member; navigating their personal stress and resistance to change was far harder than the technical work. Leadership demands emotional intelligence—self-awareness, empathy, regulation, and resilience—yet we rarely train for it, hoping people will acquire these soft skills on the job.
Coaching, Not Controlling: The New Leadership Role
High-performing individuals, when promoted, often default to taking control and solving problems. However, true leadership requires stepping back, asking the right questions instead of providing answers, and fostering independence.
Here are four practical shifts for this transition:
- Reframe the role: Your value shifts from what you do to what you help others become. Leadership is about growing problem-solvers.
- Systematize success: Delegate clarity, not just tasks. Create templates and frameworks so others can succeed without constant oversight.
- Coach through, don’t jump in: When challenges arise, resist fixing them. Ask, “What do you think went wrong?” or “How would you approach this next time?” Model curiosity.
- Normalize growth, not perfection: Create psychological safety. Embrace mistakes as learning opportunities and prioritize learning over flawless execution.
Many leaders say they’re “coaching,” but often they’re mentoring or consulting—offering advice or solutions. True coaching, however, creates space for others to generate their own solutions through inquiry and reflection. This builds ownership, confidence, and long-term decision-making. Integrating a coaching approach into leadership is powerful; it complements mentoring and consulting, providing more tools for leaders. After formal coaching training, I saw significant improvements in team relationships, performance, and communication, moving from symptom management to root cause resolution.
Develop, Don’t Just Promote and Pray
Organizations often fail by promoting without preparing. If your leadership pipeline relies solely on individual performance, you’re setting people up for failure. Instead:
- Invest in leadership coaching and mentorship.
- Train for emotional intelligence.
- Offer role shadowing before full promotion.
- Clarify expectations and redefine success in leadership roles.
Managers must understand that their success is no longer measured by their own actions, but by what their team becomes capable of doing independently. Leadership isn’t just a reward; it’s a new craft demanding a shift in mindset, skills, and sometimes identity. Promoting top performers is vital, but it must be coupled with intentional development. Otherwise, we risk losing our best individual contributors and gaining burned-out managers with disengaged teams.
Before making the next promotion, ask yourself: Are you preparing someone to build others up, or pushing your best talent toward burnout and exit?