Will Appointing A Leader Who’s Not Ready Harm The Team?

Monday, October 20th, 2008 at 8:48 pm by Denise O'Berry

What are the affects of appointing someone onto a leadership role when they are not ready for it (affects on the team and on themselves)?

The Team Doc Says…

In a word.

B- A-D … I-D-E-A

(Ok, two words.)

Bad for the person who is appointed the leader and bad for the team. This is the quickest way to to demoralize a team and make a future leader unsuccessful.

Just don’t do it.

Prepare the future leader by identifying leadership competencies and doing an assessment of their competencies against the ideal. Then develop them by creating an individual development plan that enables their growth. Monitor and track their progress. Hook them up with a mentor so they can learn the proper leadership skills. Then promote them when they’re ready.

How about you reader? What are your thoughts on moving an unprepared person into a leadership role? Please leave a comment.

More Posts On This Topic:

  1. What To Do When You’re Left Out Of The Team Loop
  2. Stumped on Direction for Team Leaders
  3. Is Team Leadership About The Title?
  4. How Are Team Leaders Selected?
  5. You Can’t Coach Team Member Attitudes




4 Comments

Are you kidding me? It would not be fair to that person who is unprepared. Secondly, it would not be fair to the team. If the leadership is not well-equiped, it would be difficult for the team to perform as a functional unit.

Comment by Roxanne Robinson | November 19th, 2008 12:17 am | Permalink

Absolutely Roxanne. Thank you for your thoughts.

Comment by Denise O'Berry | November 20th, 2008 7:30 am | Permalink

AHHH! Why do companies still wonder this. When are we as a society going to stop promoting people who are not leaders. When will we stop giving mercy promotions??
If a leader is not prepared or you are even having doubts, then s/he is not right for the job.
Even asking this question - develops its own answer.

Comment by Michael Cardus | November 27th, 2008 11:54 am | Permalink

Amazing that many companies still haven’t learned their lesson after all this time. I think the main reason for this happening is that there is no leadership at the top.

Comment by Denise O'Berry | November 27th, 2008 4:51 pm | Permalink

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