The ‘Peter Principle’ is better known as the idea that people eventually get promoted to their level of incompetence. This is important since it has implications for leadership, for work and for understanding ourselves. The idea is that people might function well in various roles, but this inevitably sees them rewarded with more and more responsibility until they reach a level that is beyond their ability.
To recognise internal motivators and reasons why we might want to aspire to positions of influence and importance can guard us against the eventual dissatisfaction. We need to remember, too, that we don’t really know a higher role if we haven’t yet performed it and it is often people around us in our current role who have helped us to shine until now, too.
Almost no amount of money can make a role worthwhile in the longer term if there is not the accompanying satisfaction of doing well what it is that we are wired to do, (after all, the best career advice is, ‘find a job you like and get someone to pay you to do it’).
I would suggest a few solutions for those in leadership roles who may become affected by this problem. Sometimes, people need better training, interviewing and feedback to best determine the needs as they enter and consolidate a new role. Strength or personality profiles (or similar) can help here (see, also, the Belbin team roles material). Also, being sure that there aren’t just some coincidental factors that might have more to do with the natural unfamiliarity that comes with new circumstances, anyway. There needs to be a clearly developed culture of honesty and accountability, too, that has team members processing difficulties openly as well as playing their part to integrate new people and to make changes work. Also, we need to better recognise and value the importance of people doing what they are gifted to do and then knowing their limits, even in the face of our needs.
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