Many organizations skip this training because they assume high-performing employees will naturally become effective managers. But individual contributor skills do not automatically translate into leadership skills.
That gap matters because the transition from individual contributor to first-time manager is one of the most difficult stages of leadership development.
Ask most veteran leaders, and they’ll tell you that of all leadership stages, the most difficult transition is from individual contributor to first-time manager.
The problem is that most leadership training for managers overlook that the challenges for new managers are different from those at other levels.
Organizations tend to underestimate the pressures and interpersonal dynamics that new managers encounter as their identity shifts from being a strong employee to leading people.
According to High5Test leadership training statistics, 60 percent of new managers don’t receive any formal training when they move into leadership roles. Of those they surveyed, 26 percent said they didn’t feel prepared for their transition into management.
An unprepared and uncertain manager affects everyone on the team. In fact, Gallup research shows that managers account for 70 percent of the variance in employee engagement. In other words, a manager has more influence on how engaged a team feels than other workplace factors.
After struggling quietly, up to 60 percent of new managers fail within the first 24 months because they didn’t have the support they needed to be successful.
Leadership training for new managers needs to be a priority right away as they navigate how to move from doing the work to leading the people who do the work.
Why New Managers Are the Most Overlooked Group in Leadership Development
Most organizations choose a candidate for an entry-level manager position because they performed well in their previous role. You’ll see:
- The top sales professional made sales manager.
- The engineer with the most expertise and experience become team lead.
- That reliable and conscientious project coordinator promoted to department manager.
Excellence as an individual contributor is often why someone is chosen for a new manager role—or in some cases, confidence is seen as competence.
But being a high performer is not the same thing as being a capable leader of others. Sometimes, high performers don’t manage relationships well at all.
When we consider the behaviours that help someone succeed as an individual contributor, those same skills can work against them when they are responsible for leading others.
High performers are rewarded for things like solving problems quickly, producing high-quality work independently and having the answers for others on the team. New managers, however, succeed when they are adept at coaching, delegating, providing feedback, listening and considering multiple angles before making a decision, navigating conflict, building strong relationships and creating psychological safety in the workplace.
This is where organizations fail new managers. Promotion doesn’t guarantee someone is ready to lead other people.
Rather than recognizing that transitioning to management requires support and tailored leadership programs for managers, the assumption is that if someone was good at what they did, they’ll be able to figure out how to be a manager.
But most folks don’t figure it out on their own. They flounder.
Remember, research consistently shows the point of transitioning into management is the most precarious in leadership development, with more than half of new managers failing within 24 months.
Many new managers are completely unprepared to go from being a team member to being responsible for managing relationships on a team, making difficult decisions involving team members and having performance conversations.
They suddenly discover:
- Being a leader can feel very lonely.
- It’s easy to avoid having difficult conversations.
- Dealing with different personalities can be challenging.
- Figuring out boundaries can be confusing.
- It’s hard to prove yourself as a leader without seeming arrogant.
When someone is promoted internally, this is amplified because they’re now managing former peers. That creates tensions that are rarely (if ever) addressed by general leadership programs. Becoming a first-time manager presents highly specific challenges that require highly specific supports.
Pro tip: Check out the five leadership conversations that we suggest senior leaders or HR professionals have with new managers before their first day on the job.
What Happens to a New Manager With No Leadership Training
It isn’t immediately obvious that organizations have failed to support new managers properly as they transition from rank-and-file into leadership.
After all, it’s not unusual for a new manager to work longer hours, hesitate before having difficult conversations and stay heavily involved in the day-to-day work of team members. They need to settle in.
But this is the time when Gallup’s research about the strain felt by teams led by new managers who are struggling intensifies.
As the new manager is feeling overwhelmed, uncertain and even burned out, team members are:
- Experiencing increased frustration.
- Confused by a lack of clarity.
- Uncertain about expectations.
- Stressed by micro-management.
- Hampered by slower decision-making.
- Dissatisfied with work, mistrustful and emotionally disengaged.
By not supporting new managers, organizations end up struggling with employee morale, productivity and retention.
40 percent of new managers failing within 18 months, and a later paragraph says "nearly half." One of those is wrong, or the first should be reworded. The 40 percent figure is sourced to humancore.ai
The Catch-22 for New Managers
Most first-time managers are eager to prove that they deserved to be promoted into a leadership role.
They hesitate to ask for guidance for fear that needing help will make them appear weak or, worse, expose that they were not the right choice.
Often, new managers struggle with imposter syndrome and feelings of isolation. Unsurprisingly, struggling managers are less likely to seek support when they most need it.
When first-time managers don't have leadership training to support them, there are two common patterns that occur as they try to figure out how to lead others. Both set them up for failure.
Micromanaging
The manager can’t let go of execution, hovering over team members and directing every move. They insist on reviewing every detail—often rewriting the work team members have produced—and they want to be part of every single decision. Typically, this micromanaging behaviour is driven by anxiety (but their team members might read it as ego) because doing the work feels safer than leading it and trusting others.
Why micromanagement fails: For team members, being micromanaged is stressful. Folks feel that their manager doesn’t trust them, which is demotivating. Team members stop trying to take initiative, and dependency on the manager becomes the norm. Leadership development for the team falters when a manager doesn’t build capacity and capability in others.
Under-managing
The manager avoids things that feel uncomfortable, leaving the team to get things done. The flip side of micromanaging, under-management is vague or absent leadership. The leader doesn’t provide clear expectations, adequate supervision or ensure there is accountability. Typically, the manager in this scenario avoids conflict and doesn’t address poor performance or other issues on the team.
Why under-management fails: While a manager operates under the guise of giving folks space to work, the team feels adrift and uncertain. The ongoing confusion is unsettling, and the inconsistency builds resentment. Avoiding difficult conversations ends up damaging the team immeasurably.
What’s interesting is that both micromanagement and under-management arise when a new manager struggles to make the psychological shift from being a peer to being a leader.
What Good Leadership Training for New Managers Include
The most effective programs for newly appointed managers place the importance on leadership skills—including leading self and leading others.
There are three elements that good leadership training for new managers will incorporate: they need support to understand themselves, to learn how to communicate well no matter how challenging the situation is and to navigate the identity shift from doing the work to leading the people who do the work.
1. Develop self-awareness
To lead others effectively, new managers need to understand how they operate when they are under pressure and how personality styles vary. Self-awareness is the foundation of leadership development.
At Padraig, we use assessment tools like Everything DiSC, EQi 2.0 and EQ360 to help new managers identify and understand:
- Default communication styles
- Stress behaviours
- Blind spots
- Emotional triggers
- Relationship patterns
These tools help managers understand why some conversations are difficult, how and why they react the way they do and why some team members experience their communication style differently than others.
Focusing on self-awareness initially aligns with the progression that leadership educators identify:
- Leading Self
- Leading Others
- Leading Organizations
Learning how to be a leader to yourself is a vital first step for new managers because without self-awareness, most leadership techniques become performative.
2. Enhance conversation and communication skills
Many leadership training for managers focus on conflict resolution and high-level management theory.
Sure, leaders will face major conflicts, crisis moments and annual reviews.
But for new managers, building leadership success starts with how they handle everyday conversations with team members.
Those ordinary, routine interactions matter greatly. The everyday communication is where new managers have the opportunity to clarify expectations, build trust, deliver feedback and support team members consistently.
New managers benefit from learning foundational skills to help:
- Set expectations clearly.
- Use in-the-moment coaching (instead of taking over!).
- Give feedback early.
- Navigate team conflict respectfully.
- Create accountability.
When new managers can enter these conversations with clarity, confidence and emotional intelligence, they build stronger teams.
3. Make a mindset shift.
Arguably, the hardest part of becoming a manager is letting go of the professional identity that was built through competence, speed and expertise.
New managers need to learn to step back and enable team members to succeed. Micromanaging or under-managing will slow team growth and exhaust the leader.
Learning to use a COACH Approach helps new leaders shift from:
- Telling to asking
- Solving to facilitating
- Controlling to enabling
- Performing to developing others
This is a shift in identity as well as behaviours—a shift that is easier with support, reflection and practice.
When Leadership Training for New Managers Should Start
One of the biggest mistakes organizations make is waiting to introduce leadership development for new managers.
Leadership support is best when offered at the point of promotion—or before as part of succession planning.
Not when the new manager feels overwhelmed.
Not after team members are less engaged.
Not after talented employees start leaving to work elsewhere.
The transition into first-time leadership is a big psychological and relational shift from being a successful individual to leading collective success. Preparing staff for management roles is critical to success.
New managers learn how to be effective leaders when they are supported, coached and challenged.
When organizations invest in leadership training programs designed to develop new managers, they do more than create more confident leaders: They build stronger teams and a healthier organizational culture.
Pro tip: If you’re wondering how new manager development fits into your broader leadership strategy, our related posts on designing a leadership program and running a leadership development program help you plan your next steps.
Coach's Questions
What aspects of your transition from individual contributor to manager were the most challenging? How did those challenges influence the way you led your team? When you feel pressure to prove yourself as a leader, do you tend to micromanage, under-manage or respond in another way? How does that affect team members? If you could change one thing about how your organization supports new managers, what would it be?
