If your top performer comes to you asking for a promotion into leadership, you might feel your stomach drop. If they move into leadership, how will you ever find their replacement? Are they even ready for leadership? They were so good at getting things done — but managing people, that’s a different ball game.
Here at The Metiss Group, we have decades of experience helping business leaders understand succession planning and setting up their leaders for success.
In this article, we’ll dive into:
The Problem With Promoting Your Top Performer
Picture this: your star employee — the one who keeps everything running smoothly, hits every goal, and seems to know the answer to every question — asks for a promotion into leadership. They’re amazing, but they’re also the glue holding everything together.
You start looking into every task the employee is in charge of, and you feel overwhelmed by how irreplaceable they are to your team. Promoting them feels impossible, like pulling out the cornerstone of a building and hoping it won’t collapse.
But here’s the kicker: if you don’t act, you risk something worse. By telling them, “You’re so great at your role, I couldn’t replace you,” you’re essentially saying, “Your career stops here.”
And that’s a surefire way to lose them. Not just their work, but their trust.
The end result? They leave on their terms, not yours, and you’re left scrambling without a plan.
Why Avoiding the Promotion Problem Won’t Work
Being afraid to lose your top performer is understandable. But here’s the hard truth: no one stays in a role forever.
If you’re too scared to plan for their growth, you’re setting yourself up for disaster. Your employee starts to feel stuck, frustrated by the lack of opportunities.
It’s a tough pill to swallow, but the best way to keep your high performers engaged is by helping them grow, even if that means moving them into leadership or a new role.
How Great Leaders Handle Succession Planning
Great leaders are able to avoid this scenario through regular one-on-ones with their direct reports. These chats aren’t just about performance; they’re about aspirations, growth, and what’s next. For instance:
What are your career goals?
What tasks excite you? Which ones drain you?
What skills would you need to develop to take the next step?
These questions help you and your employee get clear on their goals and make a plan.
The next step is to document the employee’s responsibilities. A good leader might say something like, “We need to start teaching other people how to handle some of your responsibilities. That way, when you’re ready to move up, someone else can handle your workload.” Most employees are thrilled with this approach because it shows you’re invested in their growth.
On the other hand, avoid saying something like, “We need to document your tasks so someone else can do them.” This vague framing can make your employee panic, thinking they’re being replaced.
In summary, being a good leader and avoiding the promotion problem is accomplished in three steps:
Hold regular one-on-ones to discuss their career path
Track their development progress over time
Build a clear succession plan (more on this in the next section)
By doing this, you’re never at the mercy of just one person knowing how to do a critical job.
What Is a Succession Plan, Anyway?
A succession plan ensures someone can step in if a key player leaves unexpectedly. It’s training various team members to understand each other’s tasks. This way, you’re not putting all your eggs in one basket — there’s always someone who can step in during a crisis.
But don’t make the mistake of trying to find an exact replica of the person you’re replacing. If your employee is truly a rockstar, part of what makes them great is their personality, unique skills, and approach. No one can replicate that exactly.
Instead, focus on the role itself. Ask, “What are the core responsibilities of this position? What needs to be done moving forward?” A job scorecard can help break this down. When used in succession planning, it helps clarify:
Tasks that need to stay within the role
Responsibilities that could be reassigned to other team members
Areas where the role could evolve to meet future needs
This process often reveals hidden gems. Maybe some of the employee’s least favorite tasks are perfect for someone else who’d love the challenge. Reshaping the role to fit the team’s strengths sets everyone up for success.
What If It’s Already Too Late to Prepare A Succession Plan?
Let’s say your employee has already voiced their frustration. It’s not too late to fix this, but you need to act fast. Schedule an extended one-on-one and get real with them. Start with something like:
“We don’t want to lose you in any capacity. But promoting you without preparation wouldn’t be fair to you — or the team. Let’s figure out what you really want. Is it about more money, or are you looking for new challenges?”
Sometimes people think they want to move into leadership because they think it’s the only way to make more money. Then they get into a leadership position and hate it. Leadership isn’t for everyone.
Instead, these people can prove their value as individual contributors and make more money doing things they actually enjoy.
In the meantime, ask them to start documenting their role. Frame it as a step toward freeing them up for new opportunities, not as a burden. Once this groundwork is laid, you can start crafting a development plan that prepares them for what’s next.
What If There’s No Corporate Ladder Your Employees Can Climb?
For small businesses with limited positions, promotions can feel tricky. You might think, “There’s nowhere else for them to go in this company. We’re too small.”
But growth doesn’t always mean climbing the ladder. An employee can expand their skills, take on more valuable projects, and justify a pay raise without needing a shiny new title.
However, if someone truly wants to lead and you can’t offer that, it’s okay to let them pursue other opportunities. Wish them well, keep the relationship positive, and stay in touch. Who knows? Down the line, your business might grow, and they might return ready to lead in a bigger organization.
Final Thoughts on Promoting Your Irreplaceable Employee
The idea of losing your best employee can feel terrifying, but holding them back is even riskier.
By having open conversations, building succession plans, and reshaping roles when necessary, you’ll keep your team engaged and ready for whatever comes next. And if that star employee moves on, you’ll know you did right by them—and your organization will be better prepared for the future.
At The Metiss Group, we get it. We’re a small business ourselves, and we’ve helped countless other organizations properly prepare succession plans for their employees.
Now that you understand what to do when promoting your irreplaceable employee, the next step is to understand the tips for success when promoting your star employee.