Simply because someone excels at their job does not automatically mean that they can make the transition into a managing others who do that job. This has been adequately demonstrated by the star sportsmen and women who excel in their field and fail miserably when moving onto coaching roles.
Different skills are required, skills that are often very different from those which secured the promotion into the management role. This is not to say that such skills cannot be developed or taught, only that they do not necessarily appear automatically.
I make this point as I have regularly been asked to advise on performance management issues where an individual has had a very successful work history within an organisation only to struggle when promoted into a management role. While this may indeed constitute under performance against that individual’s current performance objectives, it will be viewed as harsh if the organisation does not provide adequate training and support to enable the employee to adapt to the new role.
Clever organisations promote individuals into management who are likely to be good at management and not just because they are good at what they presently do. If they suspect that individuals cannot make the step up, they find alternative ways in which to reward these star performers that do not remove them from the tasks in which they excel and avoid placing them in areas in which they fail.
It is worth remembering that for many employees it is the benefits and perks that come with a management role that are attractive, not necessarily the role itself. Creating an incentive plan will encourage a successful employee to continue to perform well and will be easier to use than a performance management plan in the future.
Successful companies identify the individuals which they believe will successfully transition into management at an early stage, and groom them for that role so as to make the transition seamless.
Even future stars require some direction.