Promoted But Not Prepared: 3 Leadership Lessons I Learned the Hard Way

Who’s Developing Your Next Generation of Leaders?
Let’s talk about succession planning. If you’re not investing in developing your next generation of leaders, let me ask you this: Who is?

Far too often, organizations fall into the trap of thinking that promotion equals development. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t. Promoting someone without equipping them to lead is like handing someone the keys to a race car without teaching them how to drive. It might look exciting at first, but the crash-and-burn potential is very real.

I know this firsthand because, well, I’ve been there.

Lessons From My (Painfully Humbling) Early Leadership Days

When I was first promoted to lead a team, I didn’t know what I didn’t know. I did my best, relying on what I had observed from managers I’d worked with over the years. But let’s just say... I was not setting any leadership records.

Here are three examples of where I fell spectacularly short:

1. The Taskmaster Extraordinaire
I was excellent at delegating tasks and managing the bottom line. But leading people? That’s another story. I thought leadership was about telling people what to do, assigning tasks, and monitoring deadlines. Connection? Collaboration? Encouraging their growth? Not on my radar. Turns out, people don’t stick around for a boss who’s all task and no heart. Lesson learned: people want to feel valued, not just managed.

2. The Feedback-Free Zone
Giving feedback terrified me, so I just... didn’t. I figured if no one was complaining, everything was fine. Wrong! My avoidance left my team guessing about their performance and led to unmet expectations (and some serious side-eye in meetings). Lesson learned: feedback is not criticism—it’s clarity, and teams need it to grow.

3. The "I’ll Handle It Myself" Syndrome
I thought being a good leader meant being the expert and solving everyone’s problems. So instead of empowering my team to make decisions, I took on their challenges myself. Guess what happened? Burnout for me, and frustration for them. Lesson learned: leadership is about empowering, not micromanaging.

Why Succession Planning Matters

Here’s the thing: Leadership isn’t just about filling a role—it’s about building a bench. If we’re not intentionally developing our next generation of leaders, we’re setting them (and our organizations) up for frustration, retention issues, and missed opportunities.

When you promote without developing, you’re leaving leaders to figure it out the hard way—just like I did. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

➡️ Enter the Leadership Launch Pad Program

Because of my own experiences fumbling through my early leadership days, I created the Leadership Launch Pad Program. This program answers the questions I wish someone had answered when I transitioned from managing projects to leading people.

It’s designed to help leaders:
•    Build self-awareness and develop emotional intelligence.
•    Learn how to connect with their teams authentically.
•    Balance accountability with empathy.
•    Lead with confidence and clarity.

I sure wish I’d had something like this when I was trying to figure out leadership. It would have saved me a lot of sleepless nights, turnover, and awkward feedback conversations!

So, let me ask you again: Who’s developing your next generation of leaders? Let’s partner to make sure they’re not just promoted—they’re prepared.

Take it from Jackie, one of the most recent leaders who graduated from this program! 👇🏻

Reach out here for more info if you're ready to get your incoming leaders on my 2025 schedule for the Leadership Launch Pad program before it's too late and skyrocket their leadership skills so they're prepared. Let's go!

To Your Growth,

Kelly