We often expect managers to be superheroes, effortlessly guiding teams towards victory.

But in reality, managers are also employees. And even the best managers need guidance and ongoing skill development, just like everyone else.  

In order to ensure the teams at your organization reach their full potential, managers need opportunities to learn and develop into better managers over time. Employee development alone can have long-lasting benefits for a business. But when you invest specifically in manager development, you get a ripple effect that amplifies the impact even further. 

It’s concerning that only one-third of employees feel confident in their manager’s ability to lead. Weak management can hinder team performance, stifle innovation, and contribute to high turnover. So it’s unsurprising that a Gartner survey revealed leadership and manager development to be a top priority for HR teams in 2024.

Keep reading as we break down the challenges that many managers currently face and share some effective tactics to help you elevate manager development within your own organization. 

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The importance of strong manager development 

For almost any business, your employees are the lifeblood of your organization. Managers are the vital link between individual talent and overall success, supporting your people in their day-to-day. A   strong management team  is the cornerstone of a thriving, high-performing company. 

‍57% of employees have quit a job because of their manager, and the quality of a manager is the single most influential factor in determining employee engagement. 70% of of the variance in employee engagement scores can be attributed to their leadership

When you invest in manager development, you benefit from:

• Increased performance and productivity across all levels of the organization.
• Higher rates of employee engagement and retention.
• Improved rates of belonging, collaboration, and trust among employees.
• Better decision-making.
• Elevated resistance to change and heightened resiliency among employees.

It’s important to remember that manager development also goes beyond your current managers. When you take the time to develop the skills of high-potential talent, you create a pipeline of future leaders who are ready to step into manager-level roles when the time comes.

How development drives manager effectiveness 

Let’s be clear: being a manager and being  an effective manager are two wildly different things.

The vast majority (82%) of managers are accidental—which means they have no formal leadership training. And according to Gallup, only one in ten people naturally possess the talent to manage. This explains the large leadership skill gaps plaguing many organizations.. 

Generally, employees are promoted into managerial roles based on their performance in prior positions, not necessarily their leadership aptitude. Sure, they might have shown an interest in leadership or exhibit characteristics of a potential leader, but until they officially become a people manager, they’ve likely never actually built up the skill set. Naturally, this makes it difficult for them to be effective managers on day one.

So how do you turn those employees into truly effective managers? By providing targeted manager effectiveness programs  that upskill leaders with the tools they need to inspire, motivate, and successfully guide their teams, while  navigating the inevitable challenges that come with management. 

4 common challenges of people leadership

Leadership in the workplace looks drastically different than it did even a decade ago. While some of the core skills and principles have remained constant, to say things have changed is an understatement.

Companies have shifted to hybrid and remote work environments (and back again.) And drastic changes in the economy have had an impact on most—if not all—industries.

This leaves managers facing a whole new set of challenges as they help to guide their teams through change and murky waters. Here are some of the most common challenges that modern leaders face in the workplace today. 

1. Constant change

Between an economy-altering global pandemic, the rise of AI, company restructures, and dispersed teams, these days it feels like the only constant is change. Business objectives and the way we work are constantly adjusting to stay relevant in the ever-evolving world around us, leaving employees scrambling to keep up. 

While change can be a good thing, it’s created a rise in change fatigue with employees feeling the stress and anxiety of constant upheaval. This not only fuels burnout but also puts additional pressure on managers to rebuild trust and motivation within their teams.

Constant change isn’t  going anywhere soon. As this continues to be a common theme into 2024, 42% of execs believe the ability to navigate changes quickly is a top leadership capability.

2. Distributed teams

Many organizations have teams spread across different locations, whether due to remote/hybrid work arrangements or the nature of being a global company. While each work model has its advantages, managing a geographically dispersed team presents unique challenges compared to managing a team that’s right in front of you. 

In these distributed settings, managers are faced with the challenge of fostering trust and belonging over a screen. It’s not impossible, but it does mean that managers have to take a more intentional approach to building relationships, establishing clear expectations, and ensuring that everyone feels connected and heard, regardless of their physical location.

“Managers ​aren't ​equipped ​for ​this ​moment. Most ​managers ​were ​people ​who'd ​been ​promoted ​into ​the ​seat ​because ​they ​were ​the ​most ​senior ​person ​in ​the ​team. ​Their ​level ​of ​learning ​was ​not ​spectacular ​in ​the ​first ​place. ​And ​suddenly ​we ​thrust ​them ​into ​a ​much ​different ​environment ​where ​they ​were ​being ​asked ​to ​deal ​with ​a ​lot ​of ​things ​simultaneously. [...] Those ​issues ​really ​brought ​to ​the ​forefront ​the ​need ​to ​think ​about ​what ​we ​do ​to ​enable ​managers, ​not ​through ​just ​one ​off ​training ​and ​resources, ​but ​day ​to ​day, ​week ​to ​week ​sets ​of ​capabilities ​for ​them.” - Brian Elliott, Co-founder, Future Forum; Author of "How the Future Works”; Former Slack & Google Executive

3. Lack of resourcing

Continued economic uncertainty has forced companies to be more intentional with when they hire and where they spend their money. 45% of managers are spending more time on individual contributor work rather than managing employees. 

When teams are left understaffed or under-resourced, it often goes one of two ways: the manager or employees will end up picking up that additional work, or they’ll fall short of their goal. Both scenarios are demotivating and put employees and managers at risk of burnout, making it difficult for managers to effectively lead their teams to success.

4. Increased employee burnout

74% of workers say their mental health at work is poor or fair. This leads to low productivity, poor engagement, and lack of motivation among employees—all a struggle for  managers when it comes to leading their teams to successful outcomes. This can further perpetuate burnout, leaving managers and their teams stuck in a vicious cycle. 

While managers can play a role in building employee resiliency and managing burnout, they can’t—and shouldn’t—be expected to prevent it altogether. They need support from the organization to create a workplace culture that prioritizes mental well-being and empowers employees to thrive.

Must-have people manager skills for 2024 and beyond

Strong people managers tend to have a very specific skill set. As the modern workplace continues to evolve, so do the skills that managers need to effectively address the challenges that their teams are facing. 

Here are some of the top skills that can help managers drive performance.

• Change leadership skills: Adaptability was listed as the top skill of 2024 by LinkedIn. It’s clear that organizations with managers who are able to lead effectively through change will come out ahead.

• Building trust and relationships: The foundation of any successful team is trust. Managers need to learn how to foster strong relationships, create psychological safety, and establish themselves as reliable and supportive leaders.

• Coaching and performance management: Managers play a crucial role in developing their team members' potential. By providing regular coaching and feedback, they can improve both team and individual performance and ensure goals are met. Being able to motivate and coach employees is also key to creating a positive work environment.

• Communication and feedback: Clear, effective communication is essential for aligning teams, setting expectations, and providing constructive feedback. Good communication also builds understanding between managers and their teams. When trust is established, employees are more likely to be honest about their needs and challenges, helping managers better support them in achieving their goals

• Strategic delegation: Effective managers know how to delegate tasks strategically, empowering their team members to take ownership and grow their skills. This also improves efficiency to help managers free up time and focus on making the biggest impact.

How to develop people management skills 

When it comes to employee development, many people think of  traditional training programs like workshops, seminars, and online courses. But despite the billions of dollars being funneled into employee training, companies usually don’t see enough return on investment. Only a quarter of senior managers report training as essential for driving business results. 

Why? While training and coursework has its place and provides a solid foundation, it’s not enough on its own. Holistic learning learning and development thrives in the context of relationships, interactions, and hands-on experiences. 

Take a  look at development through the lens of the 70-20-10 learning framework, which tells us that:

• 70% of learning comes from on-the-job experiences and challenging assignments.
• 20% of learning comes from developmental relationships and interactions with others.
• 10% of learning comes from formal training and coursework.

We can use this framework as we seek to support managers with skills development. There’s certainly value in traditional training. However, to bridge the knowing-doing gap, organizations need to find a way to implement strategies that help employees learn from their peers and create opportunities for leadership skills to be put into practice. 

And  employees shouldn’t be expected to find these development opportunities on their own.

David Simmonds, SVP, Global Chief Communications and Sustainability Officer at Canada Life says it best, “Anything that's left to an accident in business usually doesn't work.” 

And we also know that leaving development opportunities up to chance also tends to put diverse and underrepresented talent on the back burner

TL;DR: The key to developing people management skills is creating an intentional strategy that helps your people learn the way they do best—from other people.

“What ​does ​learning ​and ​development ​look ​like ​to ​managers ​and ​more ​broadly, ​employees? What ​we've ​been ​trying ​to ​do ​is ​talk ​about ​this ​growth ​mindset, ​learning ​and ​development, ​and ​dispel ​this ​notion ​that ​everything ​happens ​in ​the ​classroom. ​We ​can ​provide ​that ​formal ​training, ​but ​how ​are ​you ​learning ​in ​your ​everyday ​and ​incorporating ​this? [...] ​I ​do ​believe ​that ​we ​need ​to ​talk ​more ​about ​that, ​to ​look ​at ​that ​social ​learning ​element ​and ​coaching ​and ​continuous ​feedback.” - Tiffany Smye, Senior Director, Talent, Learning & Development, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment

Non-traditional training tactics to include in a manager development program 

The right tactics can accelerate skills development. 

So let’s zoom in on some of the most impactful (and perhaps underrated) tactics and strategies to include in your manager development program.

Manager peer learning and mentoring

We often think of mentorship as relationships where senior leaders are paired with junior employees to help navigate their careers. In the context of manager mentoring, it can look a bit different. 

Consider peer learning. As managers navigate rapidly changing workplaces, having access to structured discussions with other managers and peers is a powerful tool. These exchanges offer diverse perspectives, allowing managers to tackle challenges collaboratively and learn from each other's experiences.

In a more traditional mentorship context, you can also give managers the opportunity to mentor other more junior employees. Mentoring hones their leadership skills, communication abilities, and understanding of different perspectives, all of which translate to improved management practices.

Or, pair new managers with seasoned veterans. This traditional mentorship model allows emerging leaders to learn from the successes and failures of those who have walked the path before them.

Manager networking and connection-building

Being a manager can be lonely at times. Leaders can often find themselves feeling isolated and stuck making all-too-important decisions in a silo. 

Managing networking opportunities helps leaders build professional relationships with other managers and leaders within the organization. Connecting leaders from different backgrounds also encourages sharing and leveraging institutional knowledge, so managers can draw on the strengths and skills of their peers to fill their own managerial toolbox. 

By matching managers with peers based on specific skills, interests, and expertise, you facilitate peer-to-peer learning while developing management skills across the organization. It also provides a safe space for managers to tackle shared challenges and adopt best practices. 

“Quite often we see a pattern where the more senior a leader gets in their career and the more tenured they are in their experience, ironically, the harder it is to find other individuals to connect with. […] It's not as easy to reach out and find other peers and create meaningful connections.” - Catherine Brown, Taybridge Leadership

WATCH NOW: Navigating Transformation with Confidence ft. Leading Change Expert, Catherine Brown

Manager skills development 

We know that traditional training often falls short when it comes to addressing the dynamic skill requirements of managers. Instead, aim to create robust personalized learning pathways for skills development using a holistic approach.

For example, mentoring can help managers identify their unique skill gaps and put a plan in place to address them. Sponsorship can unlock opportunities for employees to test these skills in real-world situations. And group mentoring can promote knowledge sharing while encouraging managers to build new skills together.

How to accelerate manager development with 10KC

With the gap for effective leaders continuing to grow, 10KC’s Manager Effectiveness solution is designed to develop strong and confident leaders through targeted skill development.

With 10KC, managers and your organization enjoy the benefits of:

• Better Learning through Dynamic Peer Learning:  Go beyond the traditional one-off training sessions and cultivate thriving communities of practice where managers actively learn from each other's experiences. This approach fosters deeper engagement and leverages institutional knowledge, creating a sustainable engine for continuous skill development. By sharing best practices and insights, managers build relationships, networks, and create a collaborative culture that promotes fast results through the practical application of knowledge. 

• In-demand Skills Development for the New World of Work: Build personalized learning pathways and boost learning results for your leaders with 10KC’s off-the-shelf, SME-backed conversation guides and learning resources. Easily customize the curriculum, integrate your LXP, and tailor it to meet your organization’s evolving skill development needs. 

• Best Quality Smart Matching Algorithm: Our intelligent matching algorithms analyze unlimited customizable factors such as skills and development goals to find the perfect connections between peers for impactful networking or mentor-mentee pairings, ensuring the most relevant guidance and maximum impact for your participants. 

• Real-time Data Insights: Effortlessly measure program impact, track employee development progress, and make data-driven decisions with 10KC's automated feedback and insightful analytics