Do Star Performers Make Good Leaders?
Posted by: Carol
in Leadership
on Oct 23, 2009 
Hope and faith are important things. I don't think that humans could survive with out hope and faith. Unfortuately, too often hope and faith are used to make promotional decisions.
Case on point: hoping that the Star Performer will become a Star Leader.
By placing faith in a Star Performer to transform into a Star Leader is foolish. A well-intentioned, but foolish, choice that places the organizatioh at risk and can negatively impact peoples lives.
It is often said that "people don't leave companies; they leave bosses." The traits that make some one look like great pomotion potential from above: task focused, high achiever, go-getter, works well with out direction, innovator, driven are THE SAME traits that can make poor leaders.
Why?
Because the go-getter attitude may sideline important LEADERSHIP TRAITS such as empathy, time to listen, relationship building, willingness to listen to contrary opinions, in short...all those elements that insprie TRUST in others.
Without TRUST from those who CHOOSE to follow-there is NO LEADER . Therefore, NO LEADERSHIP.
So look beyond, the Star Performance. Look to the ACTUAL STAR LEADERSHIP that currently exists.
Who do people TRUST in the organization?
Who looks out for their TEAM as much as themselves?
Who continually holds themselves ACCOUNTABLE?
Who is ADMIRED by thier peers, not just liked by those up the food chain?
Who has a THIRST for learning?
Who has the HUMILITY to know that there is alot to learn-no matter how long they have been around the block?
Who WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO FOLLOW COME HELL OR HIGH WATER OR BOTH?
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I have often heard and read that a star athlete often cannot transition to being a successful coach because he or she demands from players the same qualities that distinguished the player-turned-coach as a star. So I can agree with at least some of these points.
Yet turning a moribund organization into a high-performing one requires breaking the mold of lackluster performance that has been accepted. That makes empathy with poor performers difficult in a role of someone who wants to bring life back into an organization.
Stimulating employee engagement in such an organization cannot come simply by building trust. Trust in those circumstances sounds to me like trust that a new supervisor will not “rock the boat” and will continue to accept the status quo of poor performance.
I think a star performer-turned-supervisor is in a better position than others to know what makes the organization vital again and it is up to the employees to participate with the new supervisor to do that or to leave. Once the under-performing employees are gone, or most or them are, then trust can be developed as a piece of employee engagement.