Everyone loves Miss Ditto; she’s a truly exceptional presence in the classroom. She inspires students, takes up challenges, and wins the admiration of colleagues. Recognizing her talent, the school promotes her to a department head. Yet, suddenly, she’s managing budgets, dealing with administrative paperwork, and navigating school politics, all of which she feels unprepared for. Her brilliance as a teacher is overshadowed by her struggles in a new role.

This scenario isn’t unique. In workplaces everywhere, people rise through the ranks until they hit a role where they can no longer excel. This phenomenon, often unnoticed, reflects a common flaw in how promotions work. Success in one role becomes the sole criterion for advancement, even when the next role requires a completely different set of skills.

Confusing competence with potential might be the main flaw of many. A star salesperson is promoted to sales manager, only to struggle when asked to lead a team. An excellent nurse becomes head of a ward and finds herself overwhelmed by bureaucracy. It’s a pattern rooted in the assumption that good performance is universal rather than situational.

Sometimes, the problem isn’t just mismatched skills. It’s the culture of organizations themselves. Often, advancing in your career depends not only on your abilities but also on how you're perceived. Employees who conform to the rules, avoid controversy, and play the “political game” are usually rewarded over those who challenge the status quo. As a result, the roles often go to the wrong people.

The consequences of these mismatches can be dramatic. If the company had been a bridge, it would have collapsed. If engineers only care for its appearance, there is no way it will last. These aren’t just some handful of failures that happen from time to time. They reflect a larger, systemic issue.

There is a way we can fix this problem. Primarily, organizations must rethink how they identify and preserve talent. Promotions should focus on skills alignment rather than simply rewarding past success. It’s essential to evaluate competence contextually and to view leadership as a distinct skill that requires thorough preparation. To break this pattern, we must first change the way we understand success.