Help Me Help You: A Millennial HR Specialist’s Tale of the Peter Principle
Okay, real talk: as a Millennial in HR, I’ve seen some wild workplace antics, from meme-worthy Slack conversations to the Great Cold Brew Spill of 2021. But nothing – nothing – makes me cringe harder than watching someone crush it in their role, get promoted to manager, and then... flop. Welcome to the Peter Principle, where A+ employees are promoted into managerial mediocrity faster than you can say, “Let’s circle back.”
The Peter Principle, Explained
ICYMI (FYI for Millenials), the Peter Principle is this theory that in any hierarchy, people are promoted based on how great they are at their current job – not whether they have the skills for the next one. Basically, it’s like giving your star barista the keys to the café and saying, “Congrats, you’re the manager now! Also, good luck with payroll!”
It’s not that they’re bad employees – they’re great! But being a rockstar at spreadsheets, sales, or coding doesn’t mean you’re suddenly ready to lead a team of quirky, over-caffeinated adults with questionable calendar hygiene.
And you know who feels it the most when someone gets Peter Principled into oblivion? The team.
The Peter Principal according to AI.
When Managers Sink, Everyone Gets Wet
Here’s the thing: when managers flounder, it’s like a workplace domino effect. Teams don’t just lose productivity; they lose morale. And trust me, when morale goes, it takes Taco Tuesday enthusiasm with it.
A Gallup study (yeah, I read studies; I’m fancy like that) showed that 70% of team engagement depends on the manager. Seventy percent! So if your manager’s winging it harder than a student pulling an all-nighter before finals, guess what? Your team’s suffering too.
Here’s how it plays out in real life:
Micromanagement Mania: New managers who don’t know how to delegate suddenly feel like they need to control everything. Like, “Do we really need to send an email to approve stapler use?” kind of control.
Communication Mishaps: Without training, managers either say too little (cue confusion) or way too much (cue 3-hour meetings about nothing). Either way, no one’s thrilled.
Burnout Bingo: Overwhelmed managers unintentionally pass the stress baton to their team, and before you know it, everyone’s Googling “quick stress relief exercises” between calls.
HR to the Rescue (We Hope)
As someone who spends her days trying to keep the workplace running smoother than a Spotify playlist at 1.5x speed, let me tell you: this isn’t a “just try harder” problem. It’s a “let’s support our managers before they break” problem.
Here’s how we’re trying to stop the Peter Principle in its tracks:
Leadership Training Is Life: We’re talking workshops, mentorships, and yes, maybe even a TED Talk or two. New managers need real skills, like conflict resolution, giving feedback, and not overusing exclamation points in emails.
Mentorship Is the Cheat Code: Pairing new managers with seasoned pros is like giving them a map in Mario Kart. They still have to race, but at least now they know where the shortcuts are.
Normalize Feedback: Millennials love feedback (we practically invented the “How am I doing?” emoji 🤔 ). Let’s make it a two-way street so managers and teams can help each other grow without the passive-aggressive Post-it notes.
Celebrate Progress: Look, no one’s expecting perfection overnight. But if your manager just ran their first effective meeting without 17 tangents? That deserves a shoutout. Or at least a gif in the team chat.
Final Thoughts From the Millennial Soapbox
The Peter Principle doesn’t have to be a career death sentence – not if we actually support our managers instead of throwing them into the deep end with a “Good luck, champ!” vibe.
So, let’s rethink promotions. Let’s train leaders to lead, not just reward them for doing their old job well. And let’s be patient with the managers who are still learning the ropes. Because who knows? Maybe with the right tools, they’ll break through that ceiling and take their team to the next level.
In the meantime, I’ll be over here, writing another workshop on “How to Lead Without Micromanaging.” Because someone’s gotta keep the cold brew flowing – and the emails short.
Yours in HR chaos,
A Millennial Trying Her Best
ALL PANIC 😱, NO DISCO 🪩
Sarah
***Note from the Gen X-er on the team. All of this ⬆️ we have solutions for that, all you have to do is ask. #teamUNIcycle #managersbootcamp