Companies have spent millions of dollars designing complicated competency models, fruitless training programs, and elaborate perks to select, develop, and retain their middle managers. But when you boil it down, only three things really matter:

Can they do the job? In the modern economy, mid-level managers are often required to motivate employees and harness increasingly scarce resources to achieve a common goal. When it comes to selecting individuals to promote into middle management, it’s critical to find people with the correct skill set.

Will they enjoy doing the job? Happy, engaged managers make for happy teams and higher organizational performance. Some experience a natural urge to lead, others don’t. And when the latter gets promoted, companies often lose a high-performing employee and gain a mediocre manager.

What will get in their way? The same bold, assertive, risk-taking behavior that can help launch individuals’ careers can become debilitating weaknesses under the pressure of middle management. For these behaviors, knowledge and skills training is not enough – they need to develop the proper self-awareness and leadership behaviors for their mid-level management role.

Find out Hogan’s solution to these questions as well as four reasons your middle management may be underperforming in our ebook, 4 Ways Companies Are Failing Their Middle Managers And Why It’s Killing Innovation.