Research shows those most eager to manage often perform the worst

The people most eager to become the boss may be the least qualified for the job.

That's the surprising finding from an international study led by researchers from Harvard, UC San Diego and the London School of Economics, among others. They concluded that employees who volunteered to lead often performed worse than those who never sought out the role in the first place.

For Florida-based communications executive Lucy Abreu, the revelation hits home. Early in her career, she wasn't the type to lobby for management roles or chase titles. Today, she oversees global internal communications for a pharmaceutical company and has spent years managing dozens of employees at multiple organizations.

"You can tell, unfortunately, who is climbing the corporate ladder for the sake of a title," said Abreu. "When you have the responsibility of that title, then that role is not about you. It's about everyone else you have responsibility for."

Abreu's people-first mindset is what the researchers want hiring managers to recognize.

They found that effective managers are more likely to stand out because of how they think and make decisions, rather than because they're the loudest in the room.

Two traits made the biggest difference

The international study, published in the Quarterly Journal of Economics, went even further, revealing that overconfidence proved to be a liability in leadership. Those who wanted to lead consistently underperformed compared to those who were selected arbitrarily.

"The people who raised their hands actually ended up being the most ineffective as managers," said study co-author Achyuta Adhvaryu. "They were substantially less effective than the managers who were chosen at random, some of whom actually said explicitly, 'I don't want to be the leader of this team.'"

The research team conducted an experiment on mostly early-career employees who were assigned to lead teams by doing real-world tasks such as coordinating, monitoring and motivating. The authors concluded that two traits were particularly important for managerial success: fluid intelligence, or the ability to think fast and solve new problems, and good economic decision-making, which involves maximizing benefits and minimizing costs.

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"Many managers have to deal with a whole variety of different things that are coming at them every single day and allocate their scarce resources," said Adhvaryu, who teaches economics at UC San Diego. "How they allocate those things might actually have a big impact on performance."

The authors concluded that companies looking for strong managers should hire based on skill rather than perceived confidence or a desire to lead.

Confidence is 'overrated'

It's a conclusion New York-based organizational psychologist Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic has found in his own research on leadership development and talent identification. He says confidence is "overrated."

"We have a system that encourages people to distort reality in their favor," said Chamorro-Premuzic, who teaches business psychology at University College London. "Contrary to what popular discussions on the subject make us believe, the right amount of confidence is one that aligns with your actual abilities, not one that is excessive."

After more than 15 years of research conducted in the field, he says there is, in fact, a very weak correlation between confidence and competence. Much like Ardhvaryu's team, Chamorro-Premuzic suggests skill assessments are much more reliable than job interviews. Similarly, gathering references from people an individual works with, rather than for, can also offer a more accurate picture of their potential as a manager.

"Status and power shouldn't be assigned based on how strongly you lean in or raise your hand," said Chamorro-Premuzic. "It should be given to people who are good and who are quietly doing the work."

Abreu says the research confirms what she's witnessed in her own experience. She says it's one reason why she goes the extra mile to promote and empower those who shy away from the spotlight.

"I like to say that we should see the light in each other," said Abreu. "If we can do that, we will probably be surprised at how many leaders, quiet leaders are among us."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY Own: Research shows those most eager to manage often perform the worst