Sat - November 8, 2003

Those are incredible statistics. But are they accurate? Unfortunately, I'm inclined to believe that they may be. During my 12 years in the workforce, I've worked for more than a dozen managers and have supervised teams as large as 19 people. I've seen world-class managers and their pointy-haired twins. And I've come to believe that one of the biggest, most common mistakes companies make is promoting their top performers to management roles on the assumption that excellence in one area guarantees excellence in leadership.

I once worked with a manager whose courtroom acumen and skill at client cultivation were unparalleled but who compensated for insecurity by berating his secretary, his employees, and even his partners—sometimes to the point of tears. No one dared tell him he was a bad manager for fear of provoking a withering tirade. And so he continued damaging morale at the firm year after year. Meanwhile, the very insecurities that proved so fatal in his role as a boss contributed to the drive behind his other business successes.

My point isn't that successful people can't manage others; it's that being successful in a field doesn't magically make a person excel at leading a team. Many of the poorest managers I have had lacked the empathy and people skills necessary to motivate a team and no amount of training would have changed that. A second group of my managers suffered more from lack of formal management training than from personality flaws. Members of that group truly did not know that they were terrible managers and that this was why so many seemingly "ungrateful" employees left their teams. And, of course, I have also encountered a few Manager Superheroes whose honesty, empathy, and concern for their teams made them naturals in a leadership role.

The key is determining who belongs in each category, which is where Hogan, his professional colleagues, and a hearty dose of corporate self-reflection may prove helpful.

Rising up a company ladder typically means taking on management roles. But why is that a moral imperative? As long as getting ahead also equates to managing people, companies will continue to mint at least as many tyrants as natural leaders. Perhaps it's time to recognize that some high performers should advance along a parallel track—one that keeps them far away from management but recognizes and amply rewards their other contributions to a company.