The Leader Mindset #32

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Why Do We Keep Promoting Poor Leaders?

It happened again.

Last week, I met with a good friend, and she shared that a few months ago, she got a new manager. It was clear that she was already miserable. Her words came out with a mix of frustration and resignation: “She doesn’t even know what we do, but she already has all the answers. She treats everyone like crap.”

I assumed the company made a poor outside hire (it happens😊). Sadly, no, this person wasn’t some outsider who slipped through a defective hiring process. She’d been inside the company for years, and many knew her reputation. When the news broke, individuals from her former team even called my friend, expressing a somber “Sorry you have to deal with this, good luck.”

If this feels familiar, it’s because it is. While inherently sad for my friend, it is just another example that is all too predictable.

Which raises the question: why do we keep doing this? Why do organizations keep rewarding people who clearly shouldn’t be in charge?

The Peter Principle Isn’t the Whole Story

Most people are familiar with the Peter Principle, which states that people are promoted until they reach their level of incompetence. While there is truth to the principle, it doesn’t explain why poor leaders often remain in place, sometimes for years, even thriving, while they are clearly a menace to those around them.

I would argue the reasons are both psychological and procedural. Bad leaders don’t just land in these roles by accident; they survive and climb because they’ve mastered specific survival tactics. They exploit blind spots in how organizations evaluate talent, and they take advantage of leaders who are reluctant to confront the uncomfortable.

Let’s explore this in more detail

The Psychology of Survival: How Poor Leaders Keep Winning

Let me walk you through the most common patterns I’ve seen over the years.

1. They kiss up to the boss.
Flattery is an enticing elixir, and it works just as well in the office as it does anywhere else. When a leader constantly echoes their boss’s ideas, lavishes them with praise, and avoids confrontation, the boss becomes invested in them personally. It’s no longer about results but about rewarding loyal followers.

2. They steal credit.
Ineffective leaders are often brilliant storytellers. They can position themselves as the architect of the team's win. Senior executives, who typically focus only on outcomes, rather than the underlying process, rarely have sufficient context to challenge the spun narrative.

3. They play nice where it counts.
Many poor leaders know how to turn on the charm with the people who matter most. To executives, they appear friendly, cooperative, even generous. Behind the scenes, they can be ruthless. Likability, though, buys them cover because people want to believe in those they enjoy being around.

4. They undercut competition.
Sometimes survival isn’t about looking good; it’s about making sure no one else looks better. These leaders are master gossipers, amplify peers’ mistakes, and subtly undermine rising stars. It’s the corporate version of pulling others down so you can stay afloat.

5. They hide behind high performers.
One of the smartest moves a weak leader can make is hiring strong people. With the right team, they can conceal their flaws and still claim credit for the win. Performance-driven cultures often overlook the process behind achieving results, as long as the numbers look good.

6. They dodge feedback.
In organizations where feedback is scarce or diluted, ineffective leaders often thrive. If their boss avoids conflict, they tend to get away with it. No accountability means no consequences.

7. They shout louder than everyone else.
Self-promotion often works. Some leaders flood inboxes, dominate meetings, and trumpet even the smallest wins. Over time, visibility overshadows actual value.

8. They cling to the status quo.
Change feels risky, and simply being the “safe choice” when the next opportunity arises often keeps ineffective leaders in place. Even mediocrity feels comfortable compared to uncertainty. Weak succession planning exacerbates the issue.

Put all this together, and you see why poor leaders don’t just survive, but they often flourish. It’s not that they’re secretly brilliant. It’s that they know how to play the unwritten game, and the system allows them to do so.

The Cost We Don’t Talk About Enough

Every time we promote a poor leader, it sends a silent signal to the rest of the workforce: This is what we value. This is how you get ahead here.

That message is devastating. It disengages the high performers who carry the load. It teaches ambitious employees to mimic politics over performance. Eventually, it drives out the talent that an organization can’t afford to lose.

Breaking the Cycle: What Organizations Can Do

The good news? This isn’t hopeless. Organizations can change the rules and set a new standard for leadership selection. However, it requires courage, discipline, and a willingness to prioritize the long-term health of the culture over short-term convenience.

Here are some steps I recommend:

1. Reward impact, not image.
Don’t confuse self-promotion with competence and performance. It’s easy to be impressed by a flashy presentation; it’s harder but more valuable to dig into who actually delivered the results.

2. Build 360° input into every promotion.
Relying only on the hiring manager's perspective is not an effective approach. Peers, direct reports, and cross-functional partners see a very different side of someone’s leadership. Include those voices in the process. Also, interview the leader’s previous team. Would they work for them again?

3. Spotlight leaders who elevate others.
Instead of rewarding the loudest voice, highlight the managers whose teams grow and thrive. Identify individuals who are known for building more leaders, rather than building their own image.

4. Use objective Assessments
Well-designed tools, such as cognitive ability tests, personality assessments, simulations, and leadership inventories, provide a clear, research-backed view of leadership potential. They reduce bias, surface hidden strengths, and predict future performance with more accuracy than unstructured interviews alone.

5. Fix succession planning.
Desperation leads to bad choices. When there’s no bench, organizations reach for whoever’s available. Build depth now so the next promotion isn’t about recycling mediocre leaders but instead allows you to choose the truly “ready” leaders.

A Hard but Necessary Shift

We may not want to admit it, but poor leaders survive because we let them. They exploit the cracks in the system, and we look the other way. If we don’t change how we select and reward leaders, nothing else we do will matter.

Do we want organizations where the survivors rise, or places where real leaders grow? It starts with refusing to reward the behaviors that everyone quietly knows are destructive.

What do you think, can organizations fix this problem?

Recording - Succession Planning Webinar

If you were unable to attend my webinar on leveraging assessments in your succession planning process, here is a link to the recording.

Andy Noon, PhD

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Thanks for reading and look forward to seeing you again next week.

Andy