04:05 GLOBAL
As a specialist, your value is measured by how well you perform. As a manager, success is no longer about you, it belongs to the team. That requires letting go of control, delegating authority, and becoming comfortable with ambiguity. Not everyone is ready for that shift, and many aren’t even interested in it. But when organisations offer no alternative career paths, promotion becomes the only recognised form of progress. People are nudged upward whether it suits them or not. As a result you end up with a manager who can’t fully let go of their old role, and a team that never quite gets the leadership it needs. In many workplaces, promotion is still treated as a reward. In reality, it’s not a prize; it’s a high-risk role change. It requires preparation, support, and clear measures of success. When those are missing, the Peter Principle quietly takes hold. What appears
The Peter Principle is most visible in the transition from specialist to manager because this change isn’t just about responsibility. It’s about identity.
skills that made them successful stop working. Success Doesn’t Mean the Same Thing at Every Level What makes the Peter Principle so enduring is a simple fact that we often overlook: every role defines success differently. In one position, being good might mean speed, technical skill, individual contribution, or deep expertise. But in the role above it, the rules seem to change. The work shifts from solving problems to setting priorities, from producing outcomes to enabling others, from
doing the work to making sure the work gets done. Yet organisations often ignore this shift when making promotion decisions. A high performer in one role is assumed to be a natural fit for the next. It’s like entering a completely different game but insisting on playing by the old rules. Why Top Specialists Often Struggle as Managers transition from specialist to manager because this change isn’t just about responsibility. It’s about identity. The Peter Principle is most visible in the
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GLOBAL PAYROLL MAGAZINE ISSUE 20
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