Three-fifths of new frontline managers underperform during their first two years.[1]
With managers having a 70% impact on employee engagement,[2] it’s vital that employers give them the support they need to succeed.
When managers fail, employee turnover, distrust, low productivity, and disengagement swell – costing companies billions.[3]
Discover how leadership coaching prepares first-time managers to achieve high performance.
What are the challenges of being a new manager?
From The Office’s procrastinating Michael Scott to the mischievous Mr Burns in The Simpsons; popular culture often paints humorous depictions of managers.
But being a manager in a fast-paced corporation isn’t always filled with laughs.
Two-thirds of American managers and 61% of their UK peers say they are experiencing burnout.[4]
Yes, managers gain more power and authority. But this is countered by fierce scrutiny on their decisions.
There’s also the constant balancing act – satisfying senior leaders, leading team members in a hybrid environment and achieving business targets.
For first-time managers, there is an additional challenge: their coworkers are now their subordinates. Research shows this can cause tension and resentment from their team, especially if subordinates are older than the manager.[5]
Employers are struggling to develop high quality managers
Nearly half of employees resigned from their jobs because of a bad manager, according a 2018 study.[6]
Sadly, traditional training courses aren’t up to scratch to solve the problem.
Two-thirds of those surveyed said their manager is poorly trained and 84% of workers say this causes a lot of unnecessary work and stress.[7]
Although traditional workplace training is good for transmitting information, it often fails to engage employees and create behaviour change. Also, it is notoriously inflexible and can become outdated quickly.
As a result, 45% of managers admit that they lack confidence to help employees develop the skills they need today.[8] Only 44% of leaders know how to maintain employee optimism and resilience.[9]
How does coaching help new managers?
Develop a leadership mindset
New managers must switch their focus from their individual achievement to that of their team. Their purpose must be to help others succeed.
Empathy, active listening, and other soft skills are required. But they take time to master.
Coaches guide new managers through this tricky process.
They support new managers through learning, applying, and mastering these techniques.
Take delegation, for example. First-time managers, especially perfectionists, frequently get too involved in rudimentary tasks, giving themselves too much to do and spreading themselves too thinly.
Coaches help new managers take a step back. They guide managers on how to entrust their team to complete tasks and overcome the blockers that prevent them from doing so.
How to build trust
Trust is a profit-generating asset for great managers. Companies with high-trust cultures are more than 2½ times more likely to be high performing revenue organisations than low-trust companies and outperform the S&P 500.[10]
Employees are more likely to work harder for a manager they deeply trust.
Also, when teams are built on trust, employees are more likely to collaborate, share information and work effectively together.
Clear and open communication skills is key to achieving this.
Coaches break down great communication into actionable steps for managers.
This includes understanding how to deliver clear instructions, admit their own mistakes and recognise the needs of those they are communicating with.
Increase their confidence
Up to 82% of people experience imposter syndrome, including managers.[11]
It is natural feel nervous from time-to-time, especially when working in a pressurised environment.
When it becomes chronic, it can have a devastating impact on wellbeing, productivity, and performance.
Confident leaders are more likely to take positive action, fix mistakes quickly and spread optimism throughout their team.
A lack of confidence could be caused by a whole range of personal and professional factors, and coaches give managers one-to-one advice on how to improve it.
This includes helping managers identify the triggers that cause self-doubt to creep into their judgement and how to mitigate against it.
Want to improve and retain your new managers? Discover how leadership coaching can be a game changer for their performance.
References:
- CEB, Gartner. “Learning and Development Roundtable study”, 2017.
- Gallup, Inc. “Why Great Managers Are so Rare.” Gallup.com, 2012,
- People Metrics. “Calculating the Cost of Employee Disengagement”, 2020.
- Naomi Thompson, “Managers Are Quitting as Covid Burnout Strikes,” theHRDIRECTOR, March 26, 2021.
- Alex Fradera. “Young Bosses Supervising Older Workers Fosters Resentment, Harms Performance.” The British Psychological Society, 18 Nov. 2016.
- “Udemy in Depth: 2018 Employee Experience Report.” Udemy Research, 2018.
- “Survey: 84 Percent of U.S. Workers Blame Bad Managers for Creating Unnecessary Stress.” SHRM, 12 Aug. 2020,
- “Gartner Says 45% of Managers Lack Confidence to Help Employees Develop the Skills They Need Today.” Gartner, 2019.
- "Leadership Skills Gap.” Leadership IQ, 2021,
- Stephan M. R. Covey. “The Connection between Employee Trust and Financial Performance.” Harvard Business Review, 18 July 2016.
- Dena M. Bravata et al. “Prevalence, Predictors, and Treatment of Impostor Syndrome: A Systematic Review.” Journal of General Internal Medicine, vol. 35, no. 4, 17 Dec. 2019.
