If you answered no, you’ll understand where economists are coming from when they cite the phrase: “Rise to incompetence.”
I came across the term in an article within Inc.
It describes bosses who have been over-promoted and hold positions beyond their level of competence.
They may have been excellent in their previous roles.
That’s why they got promoted.
The situation is called the Peter Principle.
To explain it, here’s a quote from the Inc. article.
The Peter Principle is a concept in management theory in which people are promoted on the basis of their success in previous jobs until they reach a level at which they are no longer competent. In simpler terms, workers are promoted to their level of incompetence.
High-performing salespeople most often find themselves in the position described.
But it can apply to any sector of business.
If your boss is in this situation, what can you do?
First, be exceptionally good at the things within your remit.
Yes, you will be compensating for some of their shortcomings, but you’ll position yourself well for;
- Having a great working relationship with a new boss if the current one is replaced
- A better chance of getting promoted yourself if the above happens
- You may help your current boss to improve
Also, learn from the mistakes of the bad boss.
If your goal is to manage in the future, ensure you won’t repeat their mistakes.
Generally, those mistakes will be related to people skills and team management.
If you’re a boss and know things aren’t going as well as they should be, take stock.
What is the issue that’s hurting you and the team the most?
If unsure, ask a member of your team.
It’s likely they will tell you unless you’re so bad they fear speaking the truth.
In that case, that’s your first issue to tackle.
Whether boss or team member, train your successors.
Increase their level of competence.
Doing so will make your work life easier.
It will also free you for higher work.
We can help you in that area.
Please visit this page on our website to see how.
Very best,