When I worked in retail, I had five managers—four assistant managers and one store manager. The store manager wasn’t exactly beloved by anyone. Myself included. She micromanaged in the name of “setting high standards,” rarely gave second chances, and dismissed feedback from her assistant managers. Two managers and several employees quit because of her.
Outside of work, however, she was different. I know this because she often drove me home after late shifts. She seemed quieter, less sure of herself, and oddly, smaller somehow. It was a stark contrast to her work persona.
To this day, I believe she was wrong for the role. And when I saw her 15 years later working in a smaller company in a non-leadership position, it confirmed what I’d always thought: she was not necessarily a terrible person. She was a terrible fit for leadership.
Sometimes, the cost of promoting the wrong person into a leadership role is easy enough to spot. The person struggles in the role. The team’s performance drops. People quit. Pretty much like a domino effect.
The less obvious costs can be even more damaging because they spread more silently. So let’s look at some of the unexpected costs of promoting the wrong person.
Good employees start questioning the company’s judgment.
Employees pay attention to promotions. Very close attention. They notice who gets chosen, who gets overlooked, and what standards seem to matter. So when the wrong person gets promoted—someone who lacks maturity, judgment, accountability, or the ability to communicate without yelling—employees don’t just question that one decision. They start questioning the judgment of the people who made it.
And honestly, can you blame them?
If everyone on the team already knew this person wasn’t ready, the promotion sends a very clear message: leadership either didn’t know, didn’t care, or chose to ignore what employees could see from several cubicles away.
This is the kind of decision that shakes employees to their core.
The promotion teaches employees what really gets rewarded.
Could you imagine promoting someone who talks the most in meetings and somehow contributes the least? Or someone who is super confident but not quite as competent as they claim? Or someone who is charming upward and insufferable sideways? Of course you wouldn’t. But it happens. And employees learn from that.
Employees learn whether the company rewards substance or visibility. They learn whether strong relationships matter more than strong work. They learn whether being well-liked by leadership matters more than being respected by peers.
That lesson can change how people behave. Some employees may stop focusing on doing excellent work and start focusing on being more visible. Others may disengage because they no longer believe merit matters.
The promoted person feels burdened by their power.
Being promoted into a role you’re not ready for is stressful, even when you really wanted it.
The wrong person—like the manager I mentioned at the beginning—may feel insecure, exposed, or overwhelmed. Instead of admitting they need help, they may become defensive. They may also micromanage, become unnecessarily strict, blame others, or treat anyone who disagrees with them as disloyal.
A person who feels out of their depth but can’t admit it can do a lot of damage.
When the wrong person is promoted, the team learns to adapt—and I don’t mean that in a good way.
The team learns not to rely on them.
They learn what not to bring up. They go around the manager when they need a real decision. They ask peers for help instead of asking the person who is technically in charge.
At first, this may look like the team is being resourceful. In reality, it means the structure has started to fail.
When employees have to work around a manager, the company is paying someone for authority the team doesn’t trust or use properly. The person’s authority becomes mostly decorative. Employees still copy them on emails, nod during meetings, and follow the formal chain of command when they have to, but the real problem-solving starts happening somewhere else. People double-check their decisions with more reliable coworkers. They go to another manager for support. So decisions and communication get messier, and the team wastes energy navigating around the person who is supposed to be leading them.
Stop Promoting the Wrong Person!
Never make promotion decisions based only on tenure, technical skill, likability, or the fact that someone has been waiting a long time. These things may matter, but they’re not enough.
Before promoting someone, ask:
- Do they have the respect of their peers?
- Do they communicate clearly?
- Do they take feedback well?
- Do they handle conflict maturely?
- Do they show good judgment under pressure?
- Do they hold themselves accountable?
- Do they want the responsibility of leadership, or just the status?
- Do they have the emotional intelligence to manage people fairly?
This is where 360 feedback (like SAGE-NM 360) can be incredibly useful. You get to see the person you’re thinking of promoting from the point of view of those who work most closely with them. Because the person who looks impressive may look different in other mirrors.
So choose your next manager carefully. Your employees are watching.