Recently, I posted a poll about why we still have ineffective leaders. Ego? Lack of development? Promoting the wrong people? Yep, it’s the wrong people who are driving this ineffectiveness.

Promoting the wrong people into leadership roles often stems from a few common factors:

1. Performance vs. Leadership Skills: Organisations frequently promote high performers based on individual contributions rather than leadership ability. Even if someone excels in their current role, they still need the necessary leadership qualities, such as emotional intelligence, communication, and the ability to inspire and develop others.
2. Lack of Proper Evaluation: More assessment tools or processes may be needed to evaluate leadership potential. Organisations might rely on superficial criteria like tenure, charisma, or familiarity rather than sincerely assessing whether the candidate possesses the core competencies required for leadership.
3. Bias and Favouritism: Promotions can sometimes be influenced by unconscious biases, favouritism, or internal politics. Decision-makers might favour those who are similar to them in personality or background or who have been more visible or vocal rather than those who are truly qualified to lead.
4. Cultural Mismatch: An organisation’s culture plays a significant role in who gets promoted. If the culture values competitiveness over collaboration or technical expertise over people skills, it might encourage individuals who don’t align with what effective leadership requires.
5. Pressure to Fill Positions: Pressure to fill leadership vacancies quickly can lead to rushed decisions and the promotion of someone who isn’t the best fit but is readily available or familiar to the organisation.
6. Overlooking Soft Skills: Leadership roles require a blend of hard and soft skills. However, organisations often undervalue or overlook soft skills like empathy, active listening, and building trust, which are crucial for effective leadership.

Addressing these issues requires a shift in how organisations identify and develop leaders, focusing on potential, character, and leadership abilities rather than just past performance or convenience.

How to stop it

To stop promoting the wrong people into leadership roles, organisations can implement several strategies:

1. Redefine Leadership Criteria: Clearly define what leadership means within your organisation, emphasising qualities like emotional intelligence, communication, empathy, and the ability to inspire and develop others. Align promotion criteria with these leadership qualities rather than technical skills or past performance.
2. Implement Structured Leadership Assessments: Use structured assessments, such as 360-degree feedback, behavioural interviews, and leadership simulations, to evaluate candidates for leadership roles. These tools can help identify candidates with the right mix of soft and hard skills needed for leadership.
3. Focus on Potential, Not Just Performance: Shift the focus from evaluating past performance to assessing leadership potential. Look for individuals who demonstrate strong interpersonal skills, adaptability, and a growth mindset, indicators of future leadership success.
4. Provide Leadership Development Programs: Invest in programs that prepare high-potential employees for future leadership roles. This could include mentoring, coaching, and training in conflict resolution, team management, and strategic thinking.
5. Encourage a Culture of Feedback: Foster a culture where continuous feedback is the norm, allowing employees to understand their strengths and areas for growth. This can help identify and develop emerging leaders early in their careers.
6. Diversify Decision-Making Panels: Ensure that promotion decisions are made by a diverse group of people who can provide different perspectives and minimise bias. This helps to ensure that the selection process is more objective and considers a broader range of leadership qualities.
7. Use Data and Analytics: Leverage data and analytics to track the outcomes of past promotions. Analysing the success rates of promoted leaders can provide insights into what qualities and experiences correlate with successful leadership, allowing for more informed decisions in the future.
8. Promote Based on Leadership Impact: Evaluate potential leaders based on their impact in leadership roles they have already undertaken, even if informal. Look at how they have influenced team dynamics, handled challenges, and contributed to a positive work environment.
9. Set Up Succession Planning: Implement succession planning to identify and groom future leaders over time. This proactive approach ensures a pipeline of capable leaders ready to step into roles when needed, reducing the pressure to make hasty promotion decisions.
10. Hold Leadership Accountable: Make leadership quality a key performance indicator (KPI) for current leaders. If leaders are held accountable for developing others and creating high-performing teams, they will be likelier to promote individuals who will succeed in leadership roles.

By embedding these strategies into the organisational culture, companies can make more informed, objective, and effective decisions when promoting individuals to leadership roles.