Comments on: Over-promoting employees. Recalling the Peter Principle https://berkonomics.com/?p=4032&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=retaining-valuable-employees-recalling-the-lateral-arabesque Dave Berkus' business insights Sat, 25 Jan 2025 00:38:57 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 By: Peter D. https://berkonomics.com/?p=4032&cpage=1#comment-133626 Tue, 19 Nov 2019 20:31:42 +0000 https://berkonomics.com/?p=4032#comment-133626 I can’t tell you how many times I have seen a change in management, or a temporary change in direction (often misdirected), cause a valuable employee to leave (or even be put into a small “box” and allowed to remain). When they leave they are much more valued for their skills elsewhere. These are often friends (this happened to me once also, before I became self-employed).

I am happy for their success when they land at a company that values them properly, but it is hard to watch my friends go through all the stress that this process creates, especially when these folks are in their late 40’s or older, have kids in college, etc.

I view this as a major failure of management, because frankly, assessing, leading, developing and coaching your key team members IS your job as a manager! If you don’t know who your key contributors are, or the key skills needed by your organization, you have failed as a manager.

]]> By: Phil Bromiley https://berkonomics.com/?p=4032&cpage=1#comment-133625 Tue, 19 Nov 2019 19:38:14 +0000 https://berkonomics.com/?p=4032#comment-133625 Dave’s comment addresses a very different problem than Peter did. Indeed, he doesn’t offer us his opinion of the issue of Peter principle per se.

That is, Peter talked about promoting and moving folks within a company when they have reached their level of incompetence. David talks about what to do about extremely valuable employees who move or may move to another company.
I wonder how common parking incompetents is in start-ups versus larger firms, and now versus in earlier decades.

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