How Did They Get Promoted? The Office Trainwreck Explained
angry and frustrated woman talking on video call looking at webcam, angrily gesturing with hands ... More while sitting on sofa at home
We've all asked it—sometimes out loud, often in disbelief: 'How in the world did they get promoted?'
As you watch someone stumble through meetings, unable to make hard decisions, and creating chaos through self made nightmares, you ask yourself, 'What was leadership thinking?' Perhaps they were half decent in their last role, but now, as 'Director' or 'Vice President' in their email signature, they're sinking fast—and dragging the team down with them.
This isn't just a case of office politics gone wrong. Promoting the wrong person is a predictable workplace trap—it's called the Peter Principle.
Coined in 1969 by Dr. Laurence J. Peter, the principle is simple: people keep getting promoted until they reach a role beyond their capacity. It's one of those concepts that sounds like satire- until you see it come to life- across all industries, departments and job titles.
At its core? We have a tendency to promote people based on past performance, not on future potential. If you are a rock star analyst, financial guru, or a star engineer, that skill set does not translate into a reality where you thrive at leading people. Leadership requires an entirely different tool kit - you need a high level of emotional intelligence, the ability to manage conflict, a strategic thinking mindset, and we rarely, if ever, test for those before handing someone the keys to a new team.
Let's be honest: a promotion is like a reward. You can't offer them more money? You could give them a new title. Want to keep a high performers from leaving? Promise them a 'leadership growth opportunity'. An easy fix. But, the danger is that this turns leadership into a prize for loyalty instead of a serious, highly skilled role that will determine organizational health and culture.
Dr. Ryan Warner in Psychology Today notes, 'Effective leadership isn't just about skills or expertise—it's about mindset, behavior, and the ability to inspire others.' And he's right—strong leadership transcends technical proficiency; it's about mindset and the ability to motivate and support people.
Generally speaking, most workplaces are not designed to say 'no' to promotion-hungry employees. So, we end up over-promoting and under-preparing, while setting up people and teams to fail.
A bad promotion doesn't impact one person - it affects the entire organization and damages the culture. Think about the department head who can't seem to deliver on anything, yet senior leadership hands them another portfolio. Or even better, they put an inexperienced leader on mission-critical tasks where they consistently fail to meet the mark.
Employees start wondering why leadership is promoting people who can't manage their way out of a paper bag. They start asking questions like: 'Why are we rewarding incompetence?' Or 'Why is feedback being ignored?' And, 'Why am I still reporting to someone who can't lead?' Over time, trust erodes. The high performers start brushing up their résumé's and spending more time job searching on LinkedIn, and the organization begins losing the very talent it was attempting to keep.
According to Gallup, managers account for 70% of the variance in employee engagement. An untrained and incompetent leader can undo years of team cohesion in months. So why do it?
Einstein had a way with words - he said, "The definition of insanity is -- doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result." If you do what you've always done, you will always get what you've always got.
If we want to stop asking 'how in the world did they get promoted?' we must start changing the rules. Be bold and reimagine. Here's how to flip the chess board and avoid the leadership pitfalls of promotion:
Split the Ladder: Create two career tracks: one for leadership, one for expert contributors. Make both respected, visible, and well-compensated. Not everyone should manage—and that's not a bad thing.
Test for the Right Skills: Use behavioural interviews, simulations, and peer feedback to evaluate readiness. Can they give hard feedback? Navigate team dynamics? Set strategy? If not, don't promote yet.
Give People a Trial Run: Don't just give them the keys to the car without making sure they know how to drive. Offer interim leadership roles or project-based team lead positions. See how they operate when given authority, without making it permanent too soon.
Support After the Promotion: It's all about mentorship - so create that space. Even the best new leaders need help. Ongoing coaching, peer mentoring, and leadership training should be the norm, not the exception.
When someone asks, 'How in the world did they get promoted?' It's often a sign that something's broken in your leadership pipeline. The best advice is to stop assuming great performers will make great leaders.
Leadership isn't a reward. It's a responsibility - getting it wrong has consequences that most organizations can't afford.
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