Have you ever seen someone who's really good at their job get promoted, but then they struggle in their new position?
It's like a great soccer player suddenly being asked to coach the team but not knowing how to do it. This is called the Peter Principle, and it happens more than you might think!
Dr. Laurence J. Peter came up with this idea. It means that sometimes people get promoted just because they're good at what they do now, not because they'll be good at the new job.
Or as he put it, "...people are promoted to their level of incompetence."
Think of it like a game where a player is moved to a spot where they can't play well:
The Peter Principle isn't just applicable to larger companies; it's something all leaders should know about.
Making the wrong promotion can have far-reaching consequences in terms of team productivity and overall engagement.
You can make your team more successful by thinking about leadership and collaboration abilities, first and foremost, when it comes to considering factors for promotion.
If you'd like to learn more fun stuff about the Peter Principle, check out the Freakonomics episode, "Why Are There So Many Bad Bosses?".
It's provides a great summary of the concept and shares differing perspectives on how being conscious of it can help teams to more effectively motivate their employees.
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