From the Ask Tom mailbag:

Question
I have a team member who has always been the “go to” person on his team for as long as I can remember. Anytime anyone needs help, they call on him. He is an expert on how our machines run. He is always cheery, enthusiastic. So I promoted him to supervisor. That means, now, he is in charge of scheduling, making sure each day’s production is complete, checking raw materials for the next day. It doesn’t seem like a lot of responsibility, but I think the promotion was a mistake.

Response
It doesn’t seem like a lot to you, because those responsibilities are well within your Time Span capability. You have a team member with a high interest in machines and how they run. He can probably listen from across the room and tell if something is wrong with a machine.

In his new role, listening to a machine doesn’t go far. You are asking him to use a new set of tools – schedules and checklists. Machines work in real time. Schedules work into the future. He may not be interested in the work of a supervisor and you may be asking him to play a Time Span role beyond his capability.

There is one simple way to find out. Ask him.