Do Your Top Performers Make The Best Supervisors? Maybe Not

One of the sweet spots for HR Answers is our training and development programs. For decades, we’ve been helping individuals at all levels within organizations grow their skills, particularly in leadership and supervision. Our clients trust us to provide practical, real-world training to ensure their supervisors are not just promoted, but prepared.

As a hiring manager, you will inevitably need to fill vacant supervisory roles. While it’s tempting to look externally for talent, there’s tremendous value in promoting from within. Naturally, many leaders turn to their most productive, hard-working, and initiative-driven employees as ideal candidates for leadership roles. But is high productivity the best predictor of supervisory success?

What Makes a High-Performing Individual Contributor?

Research from Zenger/Folkman (1), a leadership development consultancy, found that the top 10% of high-performing individual contributors consistently exhibit the following behaviors:

✔ Set stretch goals
✔ Show consistency
✔ Have knowledge and technical expertise
✔ Drive for results
✔ Anticipate and solve problems
✔ Take initiative
✔ Are collaborative

At first glance, these attributes seem like the perfect foundation for a strong supervisor. But are they?

Great Individual Contributors vs. Great Supervisors

While these qualities drive individual success, they don’t automatically translate into strong leadership and management skills. As Marshall Goldsmith famously wrote in What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, the skills that make someone excel in one role aren’t necessarily the same skills needed to thrive in the next.

Take a moment to reflect on your own career. Think about the best supervisors you’ve had:
• What made them great?
• What characteristics set them apart?
• Which ones did you respond to positively, and why?

Chances are their success wasn’t based solely on technical expertise or productivity. Instead, they demonstrated the following leadership behaviors:
✔ They listened and provided honest feedback
✔ They were patient with mistakes and encouraged learning
✔ They ensured their team had the resources needed to succeed
✔ They were trustworthy and built trust with employees
✔ They invested in their employees’ growth and career paths
✔ They treated everyone equitably
✔ They led with confidence during times of change
✔ They reinforced the organization’s mission, purpose, and values

Did you notice what’s missing? Boundless energy, technical mastery, and networking ability. While these traits can certainly help, the most effective supervisors lead with emotional intelligence, strong interpersonal skills, and a genuine commitment to developing others. In short, they lead with heart and they are “others-centered”.

Finding Your Future Leaders

Now, let’s turn this insight into action. Look at your current team—who stands out as a natural leader? Instead of defaulting to the most productive employees, identify those who:
✔ Navigate conflict calmly and professionally
✔ Foster strong working relationships with colleagues
✔ Have the ability to train, coach, and motivate others
✔ Understand and embrace the organization’s mission

These are the individuals who have the foundation for great leadership and serve as a cornerstone of the organization. They may not be the flashiest performers, but they are the ones who will build high-functioning, engaged, and successful teams in the long run.

Develop Supervisors Before They Become Supervisors

Here’s the challenge: Organizations must start training and developing future supervisors before they step into the role.

When we work with clients on leadership development strategies, we always ask: “Are you identifying and investing in your high-potential employees early?”
Supervisory skills aren’t developed overnight. Managers should start coaching and mentoring employees as soon as they recognize leadership potential, rather than waiting until they are promoted.

We Can Help

If you have employees who could benefit from supervisory development—or high-potential team members who are ready to start preparing for leadership—consider enrolling them in our upcoming program:
📅 Success for Supervisors: Virtual Series | March 2025
🔗 Register here

Let’s ensure your future supervisors have the right skills, mindset, and training to succeed—not just as individual contributors, but as effective, inspiring leaders.

Citation:

1. Jack Zenger is the CEO of Zenger/Folkman, a leadership development consultancy. Joseph Folkman is the president of Zenger/Folkman. Prior to 2018 They collected data on over 7,000 people who were rated by their manager on their level of their productivity and 48 specific behaviors. Each person was also rated by an average of 11 other people, including peers, subordinates, and others. They identified the specific behaviors that were correlated with high levels of productivity — the top 10% in their sample — and then performed a factor analysis.