Obstacle track to success 

When an otherwise talented employee is faced with a number of artifically imposed impediments to his/her promotion because he/she displays some personality trait that supervisors find threatening or objectionable.

That new account manager is smarter than the department head. The account manager speaks three languages and has an MBA. They've put him on the obstacle track to success. They're saying now that he's not getting along well with his co-workers and he doesn't seem to enjoy being here. That's supposedly why he wasn't promoted.

Obstacle track to success by North Central Johnny March 26, 2009