Promoted into Incompetence

Promoted into Incompetence examines a leadership crisis hiding in plain sight: how technically skilled employees often rise to management positions without the training, perspective, or preparation to lead effectively. Drawing on more than three decades of executive and academic experience, Dr. David E. Fraser reveals why competence in one role does not automatically translate into success in another—and what organizations can do to change that.

From government and healthcare to education and the nonprofit sector, Fraser exposes the structural habits that reward technical mastery while neglecting leadership readiness. Through clear analysis, practical frameworks, and field-tested tools, he shows how to rebuild the pipeline for capable, ethical, and self-aware leadership.

This book is both a diagnosis and a guide for action. Leaders, HR professionals, and educators will find strategies for mentoring, performance design, and succession planning that prevent avoidable failure and restore organizational confidence.

The second title in the Fraser Leadership Series, Promoted into Incompetence offers a roadmap for turning misplaced promotions into intentional leadership development—and for transforming competence into true capacity.