Peter Principle—100 Mental Models #090 👽
Why managers rise to the level of their incompetence.
1 min readAug 25, 2019
Peter Principle: The selection of a candidate for a position is based on the candidate’s performance in their current role, rather than on abilities relevant to the intended role.
Example:
If you’re a star performer in your current job, you’re more likely to get promoted. Sometimes, you can be promoted into something you’re terrible at.
The creator of the Peter Principle, Laurence J. Peter, gives the example that if you’re a great rule-follower who suddenly is placed in charge of making rules and decisions, you may well freeze up in your new role or gum the productivity of everyone else.
Wisdom:
“Managers rise to the level of their incompetence.”
