Not everyone’s cut out for management. Before handing out a promotion, here are some warning signs an employee suffers from the common problem of being too darn nice.

Three employee qualities to watch out for, according to executive coach Trisha Scudder in Forbes:

1. They can’t separate personal from professional — Managers have to make tough decisions, which not everyone can do. Sympathy for reports is a good quality, but too much gets in the way.
2. Friendships with reports matter more than the boss-employee relationship – Naturally, nice employees often become good friends with co-workers. That’s great — until he or she has to start managing those friends. A good manager will be able to make the switch, but others will care too much about friends to get the job done. Look for employees who know how to separate their work and personal lives.
3. They love chit-chat and gossip – Whispering down the lane can cause disruptions even when an employee does it. But when it comes from a manager who actually has deep knowledge of behind-the-scenes activity, that’s especially damaging.

Tags: manager, Trisha Scudder