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  • Jul 1, 2025

You’re Promoting Great Individual Contributors to Team Leads—But Are You Setting Them Up to Fail?

  • Federal MI

In growing GovCon firms, standout performers often get promoted into leadership roles. They’ve earned trust. They deliver without drama. So they become the “lead.” But while the title changes, the support doesn’t. Most new leads get no training on how federal delivery works. No coaching on COR communication. No guidance on how to manage peers or prep a burn report. So they quietly struggle—working longer hours, second-guessing updates, and hoping no one notices. Eventually, the client does notice. And by the time leadership sees the cracks, it’s already costing trust. Promoting from within builds loyalty. But doing it without equipping your people? That’s a risk—one the government remembers when it’s recompete time.

Every growing government contracting firm reaches the same point. There’s someone on a contract who’s steady. Reliable. They get the work done without drama. The client likes them. The team respects them.

So you promote them.

They become a task lead. Or a junior program manager. Or they’re just referred to as “the lead” moving forward, even without a formal title. A few responsibilities shift. Expectations do too.

The problem is that, in most organizations, promotions often come without any clear structure. There’s no delivery training. No formal conversation about how managing in a federal contract works. No system to help the new lead understand what they’ve just been asked to carry.

This is how good people get overwhelmed.

Technical Strength Doesn’t Mean Leadership Readiness

It’s a common mistake. Someone who excels at execution is often moved into a leadership role. That makes sense on the surface. You’re rewarding someone who has proven they can handle pressure and deliver results.

But leading a team inside a federal contract isn’t just a slightly harder version of what they were already doing. It’s a different job.

They’re not just delivering anymore. They’re running point on client communication. They’re reviewing reports. They’re expected to manage peer relationships, watch for delivery risks, and prep for COR meetings without missing a beat.

It’s a lot to take on, especially when no one tells them how to do any of it.

Burnout Starts with Lack of Clarity

Most people won’t say they’re in over their head. They try to figure it out quietly. They send emails late at night. They rewrite reports because they’re not sure what the client expects. They spend extra time prepping for meetings they’re not comfortable leading.

On paper, everything looks fine. But behind the scenes, they’re stretched thin and unsure. And eventually, that shows up in delivery performance.

Sometimes it manifests as tension within the team. Sometimes it’s inconsistent reporting. Sometimes it’s silence when the COR asks a direct question and the lead doesn’t have an answer ready.

By the time leadership spots the problem, it’s already costing credibility.

Most HR Teams Aren’t Asked to Fix This

In many firms, HR handles recruiting, benefits, compliance, and culture. Delivery support is typically aligned with operations or project leadership. And that’s part of the issue.

No one owns the post-promotion experience for people who step into leadership roles on a government contract.

They’re not getting general leadership coaching. They’re not being trained on federal performance requirements. They’re not even shown how to interpret the SOW they’re suddenly managing against.

That gap doesn’t feel urgent until it starts creating problems.

What They Need Isn’t Complicated

They don’t need executive coaching. They don’t need a three-day workshop on management theory.

They need someone to walk them through:

  • How to prepare for a COR check-in

  • What should be in a burn report

  • How to communicate changes without stepping out of bounds

  • What to look for in team dynamics that might lead to delivery risk

  • How to lead without overstepping or creating tension with peers

These aren’t leadership theories. They’re tactical skills that support contract performance. And without them, even your strongest individual contributors will struggle once they’re asked to lead.

Promotion Without Support Is a Gamble

Most small and mid-sized firms promote from within. That makes sense. It builds loyalty. It recognizes talent. However, when those promotions come without support, it becomes a risk.

The government notices when delivery slips. They may not say anything in the moment, but they remember. And when the recompete season comes around, they remember which companies made life easier—and which ones left their delivery team unsupported.

You’re not just promoting someone into a new role. You’re putting them on the front line of your client relationship. What happens next depends on whether they’re set up to succeed.