Building Better

Managers
 Contents
1_ Foreword 3

2_ Introduction 4

3_ The Good Manager 6

What makes a good manager? 7
A framework for measuring manager capabilities 8

4_ Support and satisfaction as predictors

of manager capability 10
Supported managers are better managers 12
Supported managers are better coaches 13
Supported managers are better goal setters 14
Supported managers are better
learning champions 15
Satisfied managers are better managers 16

5_ Supporting managers in 2024 18

What do managers want? 19
What prohibits managers from developing? 21
What challenges do managers face? 22

6_ Managers as catalysts for

business success 25
Empathy should be a priority,
not a preference 26
Should I stay, or should I go? 28
Managerial magnetism:
Building a loyal workforce 30

7_ Summary 33

8_ Methodology 35

9_ Appendix 37

10 _ References 42

2 Building Better Managers 2024

Foreword
The role of the manager in organizational success This research is intended not only to highlight
is more critical than ever. The 2024 Gallup State of the responsibility organizations have for manager
the Global Workplace Report states that employees development, but also to help organizations
who work in companies with bad management identify what managers should be focusing on.
practices are nearly 60% more likely to experience This helps them to improve manager support,
stress than people working in environments with job satisfaction and ultimately the return on their
good management practices. The report also says investment. It also shapes our own product and
that managers experience higher levels of negative proposition development. We plan to build upon
emotions than non-managers, are more likely to be this knowledge by taking an evidence-informed
looking to leave their current job and are often in approach to developing and providing an enhanced
need of greater support and timely intervention. ecosystem of content, resources, technology,
services, insights, and thought leadership. This will
Building upon our 30-year legacy, we recognize cover the breadth of skills development required
the pressing need for greater manager and leader in the management and leadership space.
support and the impact of poor management skills
on organizational performance. This year we have We will be keeping managers at the heart of who we
reinvigorated the Mind Tools vision, core value are and what we do, and serving critical organizational
proposition and brand ambition by leaning into our needs in the areas of continuous and guided learning,
strength in building continuous and dynamic learning manager skills assessment, personalized manager
solutions. We will join forces with organizations development strategies, and analytics. We look
globally to cultivate resilient managers who can lead forward to partnering with you, and invite you to
with skills, insight and empathy. Our mission and contribute your views to help inform this process.
purpose now focus entirely on using our deep L&D
expertise and market-leading digital resources to
help organizations with manager and leadership skills
development, improving workplace performance,
career development and employee engagement.
Shabnam Shahani
To enable this process, we partnered with YouGov to CEO
survey 2,001 managers across 12 industries to identify Mind Tools
the critical foundational skills and capabilities needed
to be a “good manager” in a modern business context.
The survey results stress the importance of managers in
organizational success, and the need for, and impact of,
training on manager capability and retention. The report
highlights that while organizations are allocating 12% of
their L&D budget to management training in 2024, they
struggle to measure the true value of their investment.

Building Better Managers 2024 3

 2 Introduction

4 Building Better Managers 2024

For as long as organizations have had managers together, building inclusive working environments and
and leaders, the distinction between them has been championing learning. It’s never made much sense that
well carved. Managers prioritize goals and optimize managers, who work more closely with people, should
efficiency. Leaders establish a vision and inspire be expected to prioritize them less than leaders.
workforces. Managers care about processes. Leaders
care about people. Managers control. Leaders This report focuses on what it means to be a good
influence. And, as traditional as these differences manager in 2024. Based on a review of scientific
sound, stereotypes like them continue to define the studies and industry reports, we have identified
expectations of managers and leaders in the workplace. 12 capabilities essential for modern managers. It
is noteworthy that these capabilities aren’t new
But the world’s moved on. Today’s workforces are or groundbreaking. Instead, they comprise the
more dispersed than they have been in the past,1 foundational skills managers need to fulfill their
organizations are more concerned about diversity,2 and responsibilities in the role. In the report, we will explore
employers need workers to shift their skills in line with these capabilities in the context of organizational
new and emerging technologies.3 Modern businesses support and business success. Below, we have
require people-centric cultures nurtured by managers summarized some of our key findings.
and leaders who are effective at bringing people

WE FOUND:

Half of managers we surveyed received no

support from their organization (regarding
resources, formal courses or training) when
1
transitioning into the role. Only 58% of
those who did said that they were satisfied
with the support they received.

“Having difficult conversations” was

identified as a top challenge for
Our research 2 managers in 2024. When solving
In partnership with YouGov, we challenges like this, managers rely on
surveyed 2,001 managers across 12 their managers more than anything else.
industries in the U.K. Data was collected
in March 2024 (for more details see
“Methodology”). This report defines
managers as mid-level with responsibility 64% of managers would look for another
for one or more people, either within a 3 job if their organization failed to provide
single team or across multiple teams. them with opportunities to learn.

1
In the U.S., the number of people working remotely all the time has increased from 7% before the pandemic to 35% in 2023. Pew Research Center (2023) About a third of U.S. workers who can work
from home now do so all the time. Available at: https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/03/30/about-a-third-of-us-workers-who-can-work-from-home-do-so-all-the-time/ (Accessed 19 May
2024) 2 Even though economic uncertainty has negatively affected recruitment in recent years, ED&I hiring continues to grow as a priority for employers. LinkedIn Talent Solutions (2023) The Future
of Recruiting. Available at: https://business.linkedin.com/content/dam/me/business/en-us/talent-solutions/resources/pdfs/future-of-recruiting-2023.pdf (Accessed 20 May 2024) 3 Between 2016
and 2022, 16% of the skills employers asked for shifted rapidly in response to technological advances. Institute for the Future of Work (2024) Old Skills, New Skills – what is changing in the UK labour
market? Available at: https://www.ifow.org/publications/old-skills-new-skills---what-is-changing-in-the-uk-labour-market (Accessed 20 May 2024)

Building Better Managers 2024 5

 3 The Good
Manager

6 Building Better Managers 2024

What makes a good manager?
In a recent survey, 86% of middle managers who have A “good manager”, or even a great one, is also
had line-management responsibility told us that they complicated by context. Organizations that care
“know what skills they need to be a good manager.” about digital transformation, for example, require
However, when we interviewed managers at the end managers who are effective at communicating openly,
of 2023, most had a hard time explaining what good establishing commitment, fostering innovation, and
management looked like, and many conversations optimizing talent.4,5 In the hospitality industry, managers
ended with the startling realization – on both sides – are expected to be approachable, fair and enthusiastic,
that managers don’t know what they’re striving for. to set clear goals and to lead by example.6 In higher
education, they should be able to lead change,
Perhaps the broad expectations organizations manage operations, solve problems creatively, present
have for managers are to blame for the lack of information well, and negotiate.7
clarity – there’s so much to do that managers don’t
know which skills will serve them best. Or perhaps When we asked what would help them become better
organizations aren’t being transparent about what managers, they told us they wanted to “know what their
managers should be prioritizing. organization thinks they should be focusing on” (see
Figure 1). It’s a fair ask.
Managers are expected to lead others while showing
vulnerability to those they answer to. They’re
expected to deliver objectives while encouraging
people to experiment with new ideas. They must
address underperformance in their teams but develop It’s very difficult to know what
trusting relationships with its members. Managers to aspire to be like if you
have to support decisions they didn’t make, translate
organizational goals into actions, identify meaningful
haven’t agreed what good
opportunities for people to develop, remember to looks like. Good looks different
acknowledge successes, regulate their emotions, and all the time and it looks
resolve team conflicts. They are coaches, learning
champions, coordinators, motivators, disseminators, different depending on what
and decision makers. business you’re in.”

User-Alt Anonymous manager

Figure 1.
Top three requests from managers in 2024

1 2 3
I want to discover I want to know what
I want to acquire and
my strengths and my organization
enhance essential
weaknesses to identify thinks I should be
management skills
areas of improvement focusing on

Note. The number of managers reporting that each of the above requests would help them become a better manager was 41%, 40% and 39%, respectively.

4
Metzler, D. (2022) ‘How top managers utilize dynamic capabilities to digitally transform their business: Evidence from European firms Research-in-progress’, CONF-IRM 2022 Proceedings, 14. https://
aisel.aisnet.org/confirm2022/14/ 5 Heubeck, T. (2023) ‘Managerial capabilities as facilitators of digital transformation? Dynamic managerial capabilities as antecedents to digital business model
transformation and firm performance’, Digital Business, 3(1), pp. 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.digbus.2023.100053 6 Mistry, T. G., Hight, S. K., Okumus, F. and Terrah, A. (2021) ‘Managers from heaven:
how do hospitality employees describe good managers?’, International Hospitality Review, 36(1), pp. 2-24. https://doi.org/10.1108/IHR-09-2020-0055 7 Pham, T. V., Nghiem, T. T., Nguyen, L. M. T., Mai, T.
X. and Tran, T. (2019) ‘Exploring Key Competencies of Mid-Level Academic Managers in Higher Education in Vietnam’, Sustainability, 11, 6818. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11236818

Building Better Managers 2024 7

 A framework for measuring
manager capabilities

80 %
At its core, management is about achieving goals “I became a manager
through others. Managers must have technical because I was good at my
competence, and our research suggests that up to 80% job, not because I wanted to
manage people.”
of managers are promoted because of it, but people
skills are equally essential.
Manager capabilities are intrinsically linked, yet we can
group them in meaningful ways. Consider responsibilities,
It is unhelpful to delegate a project to someone lacking
for example. Managers are responsible for:
commitment to its cause. It is challenging to solve
problems with people who aren’t getting along. And it
1. Setting expectations. Managers need the skills
can be difficult to make balanced decisions when you’re
to establish goals with realistic milestones, to
distracted by bad news.
communicate clearly and to delegate effectively.
Managers with higher emotional intelligence8 have 2. Motivating people. Managers need to build trusting
a greater impact on business outcomes (such as relationships, create inclusive working environments,
innovation and performance)9 and people outcomes acknowledge and address team challenges, and
(including motivation, retention, development, and recognize individual successes.
organizational commitment)10 than managers with lower 3. Developing people. Managers must know how
emotional intelligence. to listen on purpose, identify appropriate learning
opportunities and coach individuals to enhance their
Although skills associated with emotional intelligence skills, knowledge and performance.
can feel like they come more naturally to some
managers than others, they can be developed and
improved.11 And it’s noteworthy that managers care Through these capabilities and, importantly, because
about these skills. of the ways they interact with emotional intelligence,
managers make better decisions, teams are
Seven in ten managers agreed that empathy, self- psychologically safer, employees are happier, and
awareness/self-regulation or social sensitivity should organizations achieve more (see Figure 3).
sit among the top five most important capabilities for
managers in 2024 (see Figure 2).
Figure 2.
Managers value emotional intelligence skills
0 100

72% of managers surveyed included one of the following capabilities in their

“top five” for managers in 2024: empathy, self-awareness/self-regulation or
social sensitivity.
8
We define emotional intelligence as one’s ability to recognize and understand other people’s emotions and to recognize and manage their own. The four elements of emotional intelligence that
we measure as part of our research include empathy, self-awareness, self-regulation, and social sensitivity. 9 Altındağa, E. and Kösedağı, Y. (2015) ‘The relationship between emotional intelligence of
managers, innovative corporate culture and employee performance’, Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 210(2), pp. 270-282. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.11.367 10 lam, F., Yifei, L.,
Raza, M. and Khan, K. (2020) ‘The impact of leader’s emotional intelligence on employee organizational behavior: Mediating role of employee motivation’, European Academic Research, 7(10), pp.
5127-5154. 11 Gilar-Corbi, R., Pozo-Rico, T., Sánchez, B. and Castejón, J-L. (2019) ‘Can emotional intelligence be improved? A randomized experimental study of a business-oriented EI training program for
senior managers’, PLoS ONE, 14(10), pp. 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0224254

8 Building Better Managers 2024

Figure 3.
12 capabilities essential for modern managers

In a review of scientific studies, we identified 12 ways. Our framework for measuring manager capabilities
manager capabilities that have a significant impact on includes four groups, each containing three capabilities.
people outcomes (e.g., innovation and engagement), The first is emotional intelligence, which we define as
manager outcomes (e.g., decision making and one’s ability to recognize and understand other people’s
performance) and business outcomes (e.g., profitability emotions and to recognize and manage one’s own. The
and customer satisfaction). remaining capabilities are grouped in relation to the
responsibilities managers have to motivate, develop
Whilst manager capabilities are intrinsically linked, we and set expectations for other people.
discovered that they can be grouped in meaningful

Recognize and manage your Appreciate and value People outcomes

Self-awareness/self-regulation own feelings Inclusive leadership individual differences
Recognize and translate Acknowledge lows and Innovation
Social sensitivity verbal and nonverbal cues Recognition celebrate highs Engagement
Understand and share the Develop open and Physical health
Empathy feelings of others Trust authentic relationships Well-being
Psychological safety
Organizational
Emotional Motivate commitment
intelligence people Performance
Satisfaction
Organizational
citizenship behavior
Retention
Productivity
Creativity
Person-job fit
Reputation
Job security
Dedication
Collaboration
Employee development
Empowerment
Feedback-seeking
behaviors

Manager outcomes

Leadership effectiveness
Go beyond simply hearing Decision-making
Select, prioritize and
Active listening the words someone speaks Transparent communication summarize effectively Performance
Adaptability
Recommend development Develop clear paths with
Guidance opportunities Goal setting Problem solving
realistic milestones
Relationship building
Support others to realize Share responsibility for
Coaching their potential Delegation projects and tasks

Business outcomes
Develop Set
people expectations Business performance
Sales performance
Networking
Product/service quality
Business model
innovation
Boundary-spanning
exploration
Profitability
Customer satisfaction
Reputation

Note. For an overview of our key findings, see Table 2 in the Appendix.

Building Better Managers 2024 9

 4 Support and
satisfaction
as predictors
of manager
capability

10 Building Better Managers 2024

It’s reasonable to hope that management and
leadership training works. In 2023, the global spend
for workplace training was US$383.14 billion, which is
forecasted to increase to US$400.94 billion in 2024.12
On average, organizations allocate 12% of their L&D
budget to management training – the second largest
portion after compliance training (13%)13 – but then
struggle to measure the value of their investments.

In this chapter, we will identify how significantly

management training predicts success. Because of
the many positive relationships between manager
capabilities and business outcomes, we have chosen
to define success as capability and will show how the
most capable managers are, in fact, the most supported
by their businesses. They’re also the most satisfied with
the training opportunities they’ve had to develop.

12
Statista (2024) Market size of the global workplace training industry from 2007 to 2023, with a forecast for 2024. Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/738399/size-of-the-global-
workplace-training-market/ (Accessed 22 May 2024) 13 Training Magazine (2023) 2023 Training Industry Report. Available at: https://trainingmag.com/2023-training-industry-report/ (Accessed 22
May 2024) 14 West Monroe (2018) Companies are overlooking a primary area for growth and efficiency: Their managers. Available at: https://www.westmonroe.com/perspectives/report/companies-
are-overlooking-a-primary-area-for-growth-and-efficiency-their-managers (Accessed 8 May 2024)

Building Better Managers 2024 11

 Supported managers are
better managers
In our research, 50% of managers received no support Figure 4.
from their organization when they transitioned into the Manager capabilities most affected by
role. Disappointingly, this figure hasn’t changed much early-career support
in recent years, with a similar proportion of managers Managers who were supported by their organization
reporting the same in 2018.14 (in terms of resources, formal courses or training)
when they transitioned into the role, were significantly
L&D professionals who recognize the importance better at coaching, goal setting, providing guidance,
of management training face the challenge of active listening, and establishing trust.
demonstrating its value to the business and justifying
the investment. It shouldn’t be surprising to senior
Support No support
leaders, but supported managers are better managers.

Managers who received access to learning resources, 70%

formal courses and training opportunities at the start of Coaching
their management career were significantly better at 56%
coaching, goal setting, identifying opportunities for their
people to develop, active listening, and establishing
63%
trust (see Figure 4).
Goal setting
47%
These capabilities, along with the improvements
observed from early-career support, highlight the
current priorities of management training. It’s no 68%
coincidence that the top three capabilities in Figure 4 Guidance
are closely connected: effective coaches must be able 54%
to set goals and identify development opportunities for
their team.
76%
Active listening
In the following three sections of this report, we’ll look 72%
at the impact these manager capabilities have on
businesses and their people.
86%
Establishing trust

50 %
“When I became a manager, 83%
my organization did not support
me with the transition (e.g., with
Note: Percentages refer to the number of managers (n = 1,861) who reported that
resources, formal courses or they “often” or “always” exhibited behaviors relevant to the above five capabilities
training).” in the last six months. Although the differences for active listening and establishing
trust appear small, all differences reported in this figure were statistically significant.

12 Building Better Managers 2024

Supported managers are
better coaches
In today’s businesses, it’s widely accepted that art of active listening and develop partnerships with
coaching is an essential part of a manager’s craft. Yet, employees that center around trust. Notably, these
only 30–40% of managers have received training in capabilities improve when managers receive support at
how to do it.15 the beginning of their management career.

Organizations achieving the most in terms of productivity Figure 5.

and performance, for example, are the ones doing the Top-performing organizations were two and a half
most in terms of coaching. For these top-performing times more likely to have improved productivity and
businesses, coaching exists even as a peer practice, with performance in 2023
90% of employees knowing how to work together to
All other organizations Top-performing organizations
connect and share knowledge productively.16

These organizations achieve this by designing spaces 1x 2.3x

that facilitate collaborative learning and encouraging
Improved
employees to solve problems together and build productivity
knowledge resources. Their managers are also six 1x
times more likely to make time for social and informal
learning than managers in lower-performing businesses 1x 2.8x
(see Figure 5).17
1x
Enhanced
performance
Coaching is most effective when it’s embedded within
an organization’s culture rather than managed as a
series of events. We know this because the positive
relationship between managerial coaching skills 1x 6.1x
and employee engagement, for example, is strongly Managers made
time for social and
mediated by culture.18 informal learning

This means that when managers adopt a coaching

mindset, learning cultures flourish, and when that
happens, employees are more engaged at work. As a
capability, coaching responded the most significantly
to early-career management support. Which didn’t
Organizations with the
surprise us when we discovered that organizations with strongest learning cultures
the strongest learning cultures also have the healthiest also have the healthiest
management pipelines.19
management pipelines.”
One of the foundational skills contributing to coaching
effectiveness is open communication, which serves
as a basis for developing stronger interpersonal
relationships between coaches and coachees.20 These
relationships thrive when managers also grasp the

15
Milner, J., McCarthy, G. and Milner, T. (2018) ‘Training for the coaching leader: How organizations can support managers’, Journal of Management Development, 37(2), pp. 188-200. 16 Mind Tools for
Business (2023) Annual L&D Benchmark Report: Part One. Available at https://mindtoolsbusiness.com/research-and-reports/l-d-in-organizations-20-years-of-research (Accessed 10 July 2023) 17 Ibid.
18
Ladyshewsky, R. and Taplin, R. (2018) ‘The Interplay Between Organisational Learning Culture, The Manager as Coach, Self-Efficacy and Workload on Employee Work Engagement’, International
Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring, 16(2), pp. 3-19. DOI: 10.24384/000483 19 LinkedIn Learning (2024) Workplace Learning Report. Available at: https://learning.linkedin.com/
resources/workplace-learning-report (Accessed 16 May 2024) 20 Park, S., McLean, G. N. and Yang, B. (2021) ‘Impact of managerial coaching skills on employee commitment: the role of personal
learning’, European Journal of Training and Development, 45 (8/9), pp. 814-831. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJTD-07-2020-0122

Building Better Managers 2024 13

 Supported managers are better
goal setters
For a long time, researchers agreed that managers Figure 6.
should set goals that are clear, specific, difficult, Managers struggle to assess their capabilities
and group-centric to maximize their impact on
Coaching
team performance.21 Today, it’s understood that
transformational managers and leaders, who inspire 47% 61%
others to achieve great things, are more likely to set
goals that are challenging but attainable.22 As a result,
employees report feeling happier at work and are more
proactive and committed to the business.23

In our research, managers rated goal setting as one of

the least important capabilities. They are wrong not to I think I am I am actually
good at this good at this
prioritize it – employees with career goals are four times
more likely to engage with learning than those without.24
However, despite its significance, goal setting was also Setting goals for my team
the capability that managers agreed they lacked the 37% 54%
most. Only 37% of managers believe that they’re good
at setting goals for their tea (see Figure 6).

Measuring goal setting as a behavior, rather than as a

perception of how good managers think they are at it,
produced more optimistic findings. But still, only half
of managers had translated company goals into clear I think I am I am actually
pathways or developed realistic milestones for their good at this good at this
teams in the last six months.
Identifying development
opportunities for my people
67% 59%

Employees with career goals

are four times more likely to
engage with learning than
those without.”
I think I am I am actually
good at this good at this

Note. We asked managers to rate themselves on the above capabilities and to estimate
the extent to which they had engaged with related behaviors for each capability in the
last six months. % (on the left) refer to the number of managers who think they are good
at each capability. % (on the right) refer to the number of managers who reported that
they “often” or “always” exhibited related behaviors. n = 1,861

21
Kleingeld, A., van Mierlo, H., and Arends, L. (2011) ‘The effect of goal setting on group performance: a meta-analysis’, The Journal of applied psychology, 96(6), pp. 1289–1304. https://doi.org/10.1037/
a0024315 22 Steinmann, B., Klug H. J. P., and Maier, G. W. (2018) ‘The Path Is the Goal: How Transformational Leaders Enhance Followers’ Job Attitudes and Proactive Behavior’, Frontiers in Psychology,
9, pp. 1-15. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02338 23 Ibid. 24 LinkedIn Learning (2024) Workplace Learning Report. Available at: https://learning.linkedin.com/resources/workplace-learning-report
(Accessed 16 May 2024)

14 Building Better Managers 2024

Supported managers are better
learning champions
Employees rely on their managers to discover new Figure 7.
learning opportunities.25 But this strategy hasn’t served As learning champions, managers fall short
employees well in the past. In 2022, less than a third According to employees in 2022, most managers did not share
of managers shared learning opportunities with their learning opportunities with their people, make joint decisions with
people (see Figure 7). them or play an active role in their professional development.

From a managers’ perspective, 67% believe they are My manager does this My manager does not do this

good at recognizing the interests and strengths of their

people – a critical first step to identifying relevant and 31%
Shares new learning
worthwhile development opportunities for them. In fact, oppotunities with me
across all 12 capabilities we identified in Chapter 3, 69%
guidance (i.e., identifying development opportunities)
was one of the capabilities that managers considered
Actively involved 34%
themselves best at, second only to recognition (i.e., in my professional
acknowledging lows and celebrating highs). development 66%

However, their behaviors do not align with this

perception. To measure “identifying development 43%
Makes decisions
opportunities” in practice, we asked managers how together with me
often they had identified opportunities for their people 57%
in the last six months, focusing on a person’s strengths,
interests, and potential impact on the business. Note. % refers to the number of employees reporting that their manager does or
does not engage in the above three behaviors. Data collected in partnership with
We found that managers applied this capability YouGov, 2022. n = 2,044
less frequently than nearly all other capabilities we
measured, ranking second only to goal setting.

What we’re observing is a disconnect between the

capabilities managers think they’re good at and the
capabilities they actually demonstrate. We began this
report by showing how 86% of managers believe they
“know what skills they need to be a good manager.”
But, knowing or believing you have the right skills
doesn’t necessarily make you a good manager. The
differences shown earlier on in Figure 4 are based on
behaviors, not perceptions. And the data is clear: when
managers are supported, they are better at guiding
their people to the right development opportunities.

25
Mind Tools for Business (2022) Learner Intelligence Report: Engaging with learning in the reimagined workplace. Available at https://mindtoolsbusiness.com/research-and-reports/
learnerintelligence-report-2022 (Accessed 28 March 2023) 26 Mind Tools for Business (2023) Annual L&D Benchmark Report: Part One. Available at https://mindtoolsbusiness.com/research-and-
reports/l-d-in-organizations-20-years-of-research (Accessed 10 July 2023) 27 ATD (2019) Effective Evaluation, Available at: https://www.td.org/magazines/td-magazine/make-sense-out-of-evaluation-
data (Accessed 21 May 2024)

Building Better Managers 2024 15

 Satisfied managers are
better managers

58 %
Only around half of middle managers we surveyed said “I am pleased with the
they were pleased with the management and leadership management and leadership
training they had received. While controversial – certainly training I have received so far
in my career.”
as a measure of impact – we were curious to understand
if satisfaction matters. It does.
Satisfaction surveys (and happy sheets, in particular)
Since the mid-1900s, around the time Kirkpatrick get a bad rap. And it’s not fully justified. There’s
introduced his training evaluation model, organizations a considerable amount of research available
have been advised to look beyond the reactions of their demonstrating relationships between learner reactions
learners. A lot of L&D teams have listened but struggle and learning outcomes.
to make considerable changes.
A review of that research shows that satisfaction
Being able to evaluate impact is a skill L&D teams with learning improves both skill-based and factual
lack more of than any other, and 69% of organizations knowledge (albeit in small quantities and only in the
urgently need to be able to do this in house.26 As of short-term).28 But learning impact is about much more
2019, a substantial 83% of organizations were using than knowledge. It’s about behaviors, performance and
satisfaction surveys (or “happy sheets”) to evaluate business outcomes.
their learning programs – a method more popular than
anything else.27

26
Mind Tools for Business (2023) Annual L&D Benchmark Report: Part One. Available at https://mindtoolsbusiness.com/research-and-reports/l-d-in-organizations-20-years-of-research (Accessed 10
July 2023) 27 ATD (2019) Effective Evaluation, Available at: https://www.td.org/magazines/td-magazine/make-sense-out-of-evaluation-data (Accessed 21 May 2024) 28 For a review, see Sitzmann, T.,
Brown, K. G., Casper, W. J., Ely, K., and Zimmerman, R. D. (2008) ‘A review and meta-analysis of the nomological network of trainee reactions’, The Journal of applied psychology, 93(2), pp. 280–295.
https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.93.2.280 29 Chen, P., and Chih, J. (2012) ‘The Relations between Learner Motivation and Satisfaction with Aspects of Management Training’, The International Journal
of Management, 29, 545. 30 Shahriar, A., Pathan, H., Mari, M.A., and Umrani, T. (2011) ‘The Extent of Satisfaction on the Key Factors that Affect Learner Motivation’, The International Journal of Academic
Research in Business and Social Sciences, 1(3), pp. 96-108.

16 Building Better Managers 2024

So, what about capabilities? Figure 8.
Satisfaction with management training predicts
It turns out that satisfaction with management and manager capabilities
leadership training is a reliable predictor of manager Managers who were satisfied with the management training
capability (see Figure 8). Like early-career support, they had received so far in their career were significantly better
at goal setting, coaching, providing guidance, establishing trust,
managers who were happier with the training received delegation and recognition.
were significantly better at coaching, goal setting,
providing guidance (i.e., identifying opportunities for their Satisfied Unsatisfied
people to develop), and establishing trust. They were
also more effective at delegating tasks and projects and
recognizing highs and lows within their teams. 63%
Goal setting
41%
Satisfaction isn’t a reliable measure of excellence. Just
because managers are happy with the training they
have received – whether that’s related to the learning 69%
environment, content or something else – doesn’t mean Coaching
that the training was any good (it likely helps if it is). 53%

We’ve established in this report that managers aren’t

65%
reliable judges of what “good” management, and, by
Guidance
extension, training looks like. However, satisfaction 53%
does correlate with learner motivation.29,30 This means
that when management training meets or surpasses
learners’ expectations, they’re motivated to learn and 86%
achieve more. Establishing trust
81%
In the context of manager capabilities, this is important.
It likely mediates the impact that satisfaction has on their 78%
development. Capabilities combine skills, knowledge, Delagation
behaviors, processes, and tools. They take time, effort, 68%
experience and, all importantly, motivation to develop.

71%
Recognition
57%

Note: Percentages refer to the number of managers (n = 1,861) who reported that
they “often” or “always” exhibited behaviors relevant to the above five capabilities in
the last six months. All differences reported in this figure were statistically significant.

Building Better Managers 2024 17

 5 Supporting
managers
in 2024

18 Building Better Managers 2024

In the previous chapter, we discussed the significance In order, managers told us they wanted to:
of early-career support and learner satisfaction for
manager capabilities. For success, managers must
be supported in their roles, but also happy with the 1 Discover their strengths and weaknesses
to identify areas of improvement
development opportunities they have access to.

To help organizations achieve this, in this chapter, we

will study the data we have collected from managers
2 Know what their organization thinks they
should be focusing on

through a few valuable lenses. We will identify what

managers want, why they struggle to develop, which
challenges they face, and how they solve role-related 3 Acquire and enhance essential
management skills
challenges at work, all while being mindful of context.
But these requests – and the likelihood that managers
What do managers want? will ask for them – were mediated by other things,
including how long managers had been in the role (see
Just as context predicts the types of managers Figure 9), how significantly they valued learning, and
organizations need, context predicts the types of things how satisfied they were with the management training
managers want. At the start of this report, we identified they’d received so far in their career (for a summary of
the top three requests from managers in 2024. our findings, see Table 1).

Figure 9.
New managers want to discover their strengths and weaknesses more than mature managers

Tenure as a manager
“I want to
discover my Less than 1 year
strengths and 1–3 years
weaknesses”
3–5 years
5 years or more

39% Note. We asked managers, “What would help you become a better manager?”.
% refer to the number of managers who said that they wanted to discover their
strengths and weaknesses to identify areas of improvement in their managerial role,
split according to how long managers had managed people for. n = 2,001

46%
48%
51%

Building Better Managers 2024 19

 Table 1.
The value of tenure, self-directedness and satisfaction

We discovered that: This tells us that:

New managers wanted to discover their strengths With experience, managers develop a better
and weaknesses more than mature managers. understanding of what they’re good at. But only by
a factor of 1.12 after five or more years in the role.
Experience is important, but it’s not everything. It
is therefore necessary for organizations to identify
reliable ways to measure and track management
capabilities across a manager’s full career.

Managers willing to leave a business because of Self-direction goes a long way. If organizations
a lack of learning opportunities wanted to acquire want their managers to develop continuously, they
and enhance their skills more than managers willing could consider hiring or promoting managers with
to stay put. enthusiasm for learning. For managers already
in role, organizations should look for ways to
encourage self-directedness.

Compared with managers who said they were It matters what managers think about development
happy with the management training they had opportunities, and it’s important to ask them. By
received, unhappy managers were more likely to partnering with managers to understand more
ask for greater direction from their organization about their needs and interests, organizations can
about what they should be focusing on in their align learning programs to them and help managers
managerial role. to understand how their skills fit into the wider goals
of the business.

Note. The predictive value of each variable (i.e., tenure in role, valuing L&D and satisfaction with management training) on manager requests was analyzed using simple
linear regression. Each relationship outlined above was statistically significant with p-values less than .05, .05 and .01, respectively.

20 Building Better Managers 2024

What prohibits managers
from developing?
In our research, we weren’t surprised to discover that One in five managers told us that their organization
managers who valued learning the most were also does not expect them to learn new things, which
the most eager to develop their skills. However, it increased to one in four for industries with higher
prompted us to explore some of the reasons managers proportions of deskless workers, including retail,
find it challenging to learn at work (see Figure 10). As hospitality and leisure. And 31% of respondents said
expected, half of managers reported that “too many they weren’t supported in developing their skills by
competing priorities” restricted them from improving their managers or the wider business.
in their role. A “lack of time” is a common excuse for
not learning at work. But it’s a reasonable one for In the last chapter, we explored the responsibility
managers, considering that in 2023, Gartner predicted managers have for being learning champions in the
that managers had “51% more responsibilities than they business. We found that employees relied heavily
could effectively manage...”31 on their managers to find out about new learning
opportunities and that, in general, managers hadn’t
The barriers managers identified in Figure 10 are fulfilled this role (we’ll revisit this topic again in Chapter
primarily practical. Managers reported issues related to 6). Ironically, managers also rely on their managers,
content, relevancy and access, which are helpful starting and to such a degree that not having support from
points for organizations looking for ways to improve them was rated as the second largest barrier to
their learning provision. Yet some of the more significant professional development.
issues managers reported were related to culture.

Figure 10.
Barriers to professional development
Half of managers reported that “too many competing priorities“ restricted them from improving in their role.

Too many competing priorities 50%

Lack of support from my manager or organization 31%

Uninspiring learning content 19%

My organization does not expect me to learn new 19%

things regularly
The learning content I have access to is not relevant 13%

I don’t know what skills I need to be more effective 13%

I can’t find the resources I need to learn 12%

I don’t know how learning is connected to the

6%
business’s success
0% 20% 40% 60%

Note. Percentages refer to the number of managers who reported that the above issues restricted them frrom becoming a better manager at work. n = 2,001

31
Gartner (2023) Managers are cracking – And more training won’t help. Available at: https://www.gartner.com/en/human-resources/trends/managers-are-cracking-and-more-training-wont-help
(Accessed 20 April 2024)

Building Better Managers 2024 21

 What challenges do managers face?
Support, in an L&D sense, is a broad concept. It relates Figure 11.
to encouragement, time, budget, recommendations, and Top ways managers solve role-related challenges
the availability of resources. But for managers, it also in 2024
relates to dealing with challenging circumstances at work On average, 59% of managers rely on their managers to solve
– a ripe opportunity for learning and development. challenges at work. Depending on the challenge and its context,
managers also value working with colleagues (33%), discussing
the issue with coaches or mentors (31%), engaging with
“Reaching out to my manager” was the number one professional networks or communities (13%), and exploring online
strategy managers used to solve challenges at work (see learning platforms for related content (12%).
Figure 11). When we shared scenarios with managers
related to influencing other people, developing more Influencing others and developing more
effective working relationships, resolving team conflicts, effective working relationships
having difficult conversations, aligning team goals with Manager 72%
business priorities, and improving collaboration, 59%
agreed that working with their manager would be an Coach or mentor 24%
effective part of the solution.
Colleague 23%

Online learning
10%
platforms

What I think happens a lot in our Google 10%

organization is that managers

Resolving team conflicts and having difficult
coach their managers about conversations
how to do the job, which is Manager 43%
interesting because if you’re
Coach or mentor 35%
not a really good people leader,
you are kind of perpetuating Colleague 31%

bad habits down through Google 13%

the organization.” Online learning
10%
platforms

User-Alt Anonymous manager Aligning team goals to the business and

improving collaboration

Manager 63%

Coach or mentor 43%

Colleague 32%

Professional networks/
19%
communities
Online learning
15%
platforms

Note. % refers to the number of managers who would rely on each resource/
approach to overcome the challenge/s presented in each scenario. n = 2,001

22 Building Better Managers 2024

Understanding the challenges that managers encounter In 2024, it would be safe to assume that most
and the extent to which they find them difficult is managers are feeling similar things and behaving in
necessary to identify areas where managers require similar ways.
the most support. In semi-structured interviews with
managers at the end of 2023, we identified nine key They want to assess their capabilities, they’re
challenges (see Figure 12).32 We presented these overwhelmed by too many priorities, and they rely
challenges to more than 2,000 managers in the U.K. on their managers to solve challenges. However,
and asked them to rank the challenges based on their context is important, and we should pay attention to
complexity and relevance. the variances. In addition to the insights included in this
chapter, we found:
We found that “having difficult conversations” was the
number one challenge for managers in 2024. When we
followed up with managers to identify which topics of
conversations were the most challenging, almost one-
third agreed that letting someone go from a job was the
hardest conversation to have.

1 2 3
New managers are the most Managers of larger teams Managers in young
concerned about influencing (51 people or more) are 2.8 organizations are the least
others – 22% of managers who times more likely to struggle satisfied with the learning
have been in role for less than with building interpersonal content they have access
6 months identified “influencing relationships and maintaining to – 30% of managers in
up, down and across” as their networks than managers of organizations younger than
most significant challenge. smaller teams (50 people five years old agreed that
or fewer). uninspiring learning content
restricted them from improving
in their role.

32
Interviews were conducted remotely and online between November and December 2023 with 22 managers based in either the U.K. or U.S. We asked managers about the biggest challenges they
faced when they transitioned into the role and to rate them based on significance (i.e., from least to most challenging).

Building Better Managers 2024 23

 Figure 12.
Top challenges for managers in 2024

Breakdown of most difficult conversations:

28% Letting someone go

16% Addressing underperformance
12% Managing a disengaged employee

11% Supporting employee mental health

21% 9% Managing up

9% Having difficult 8% Addressing inappropriate behavior

conversations
7% Managing resistance to working conditions
10% 5% Pay packets and promotions
5% Goal setting

13%
16%
Conflict
14% management
Influencing
others

Top challenges for managers:

21% Having difficult conversations 16% Conflict management 14% Influencing others

13% Prioritizing and delegating 10% Identifying skills for good management 9% Building team culture

7% Managing diversity 6% Responsibility for L&D 5% Building interpersonal relationships

Note. Managers ranked each challenge (on the left) and each topic of conversation (on the right) from least to most complex. % refers to the number of managers who
ranked each challenge/topic as the most complex. n = 2,001

24 Building Better Managers 2024

6 Managers
as catalysts
for business
success

Building Better Managers 2024 25

 The way we think about managers matters. It matters Empathy should be a priority, not
if we believe managers can help our organizations a preference
achieve great things, and it matters if we don’t. So far,
we’ve seen what happens to manager capabilities Earlier in this report, and in the context of emotional
when their development is not prioritized, especially at intelligence, we discovered that managers recognized
the beginning of a manager’s career. empathy an important manager capability (see Figure
13). This is good news. Especially considering that
Unsupported managers are 14% less effective at Deloitte Digital identified empathy, or the contrasting
coaching and identifying opportunities for their people views on its importance, as the biggest challenge for
to develop and 16% less effective at setting goals. employees and businesses in 2023.34
We’ve also seen how these capabilities – as just three
examples – can impact the business by affecting Employees care about it, which means organizations
employee engagement, proactivity and commitment. should too. However, in 2024, only half of employees
report being managed by someone empathetic
According to McKinsey, “learning to love middle and fair.35 The consequence of this is serious. When
managers” is a top priority for CEOs in 2024. And managers lack empathy, employees are 34% less
we’re pleased to hear it. For too long, organizations innovative and 43% less engaged at work.36
have viewed managers as the veins within their
businesses rather than the heart. By doing so, they’ve In the context of manager capabilities, empathy is a
missed opportunities to make bad managers good – relatively new area of focus. Traditional management
and good managers better. and leadership training has prioritized process-driven,
transactional capabilities (such as goal setting, decision
We intend to use this chapter to illustrate why CEOs making and delegation) more than the foundational
are right to prioritize managers. We’ll focus on a people skills that underpin them (including empathy,
challenge that most organizations are grappling with active listening and self-awareness).
in 202433 – employee retention – and consider how
manager capabilities like empathy and guidance Perhaps this is because people skills have a less direct
(neither of which has always been recognized for its (or less understood) impact on business outcomes
value) contribute to its solution. compared to transactional skills. Or because it’s often
assumed that people skills are developed during
childhood and are therefore fixed in adults. How much,
if at all, can organizations develop them in managers?

Trait theorists would argue that the qualities that make

somebody a good leader or manager – like empathy
– are innate. People are born with them. But research
has consistently proven that’s not true.

People skills can be developed, and not only in

children. For example, fairness can be promoted in
managers by increasing their self-awareness through
feedback.37 And empathy can be developed through
diversified mentoring relationships in culturally
diverse workplaces.38

33
McKinsey (2024) What matters most? Eight CEO priorities for 2024. Available at: https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/what-matters-most-eight-
ceo-priorities-for-2024 (Accessed 3 April 2024) 34 Deloitte Digital (2023) Hey bosses: Here’s what Gen Z actually wants at work. Available at: https://www.deloittedigital.com/content/dam/digital/
global/legacy/documents/blog/blog-20230323-hxsi-gen-z.pdf (Accessed 4 April 2024) 35 Gartner (2024) Top 5 HR Trends and Priorities for 2024. Available at: https://emt.gartnerweb.com/ngw/
globalassets/en/human-resources/documents/trends/hr-top-priorities-ebook-2024.pdf (Accessed 6 April 2024) 36 Catalyst (2021) The power of empathy in times of crisis and beyond. Available at:
https://www.catalyst.org/reports/empathy-work-strategy-crisis (Accessed 21 May 2024) 37 Whiteside, D. B. and Barclay, L. J. (2016) ‘The face of fairness: Self-awareness as a means to promote fairness
among managers with low empathy’, Journal of Business Ethics, 137(4), pp. 721-730. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-014-2357-7 38 Young, C. A., Haffejee, B., and Corsun, D. L. (2018) ‘Developing Cultural
Intelligence and Empathy Through Diversified Mentoring Relationships’, Journal of Management Education, 42(3), pp. 319-346. https://doi.org/10.1177/1052562917710687

26 Building Better Managers 2024

Cultural diversity is especially important because
empathy is a gateway to inclusive leadership. Across
racial groups, research has shown that employees are
two times more likely to feel “respected and valued” at Across racial groups,
work when their managers are empathetic.39 employees are two times
For women, also across racial groups, feeling
more likely to feel ‘respected
respected and valued is the difference between and valued’ at work when their
continuing or quitting a job. On average, women who managers are empathetic.”
do not feel respected at work are almost three times
more likely to consider leaving their organizations.40
Hold that thought.

Figure 13.
Managers recognize empathy as an important manager capability
0 100

43% of managers included empathy in their “five most

important capabilities”. Half gave it the top spot.
Note. We asked managers to identify the five most important capabilities for managers in 2024. Above we show the % of managers who included empathy in their top five,
and the % of those who gave it the top spot (position one or two). n = 2,001

39
Catalyst (2021) The power of empathy in times of crisis and beyond. Available at: https://www.catalyst.org/reports/empathy-work-strategy-crisis (Accessed 21 May 2024) 40 Ibid.

Building Better Managers 2024 27

 Should I stay, or should I go?
After the pandemic, labor markets across the globe And it’s necessary.
were rocked when millions of employees upped and
left their places of work. In 2021, it was estimated that A sizeable 63% of employees believe that their
47 million people quit their jobs in the U.S.41 In 2022, organization cares more about their productivity than
a further 50 million followed.42 When asked why, Pew their career development.48 And 52% would voluntarily
Research Center found that most U.S. employees leave the company they work for because of a lack of
left because of issues related to pay, opportunities to development opportunities.49
advance and feelings of disrespect.43
This figure is even higher for managers – 64% of those
By 2023, the reality of this issue had set in for business who have managed people agreed that they would
leaders. According to KPMG, 77% of senior leaders look for another job if their organization failed to provide
nominated “talent” (i.e., recruiting, retaining and them with opportunities to learn – and that figure is
upskilling employees) as being their biggest L&D- higher still for managers under the age of 35 years (see
related challenge that year.44 Figure 14).

In our research, we found that two-thirds of leaders in Figure 14.

2023 agreed that L&D teams should focus on improving Managers will leave a company because of L&D
talent strategies, employee engagement and staff “I would look for another job if my organization failed
retention.45 In earlier years, including 2021, business to provide me with opportunities to learn”
leaders cared more about L&D’s role in organizational
performance, transformation, innovation, and growth. Managers (under 80%
35 years)
According to LinkedIn Learning, nine in ten Managers (all) 64%
organizations continue to be concerned about
employee retention in 2024.46 Encouragingly, providing Employees 52%
employees with learning opportunities is the top
retention strategy for most of these businesses.47 Note. Across 175 teams (each with a minimum of eight people), Culture Amp found that
52% of employees who chose to leave their organization in 2024 did so because of
“development opportunities”. In our research, we found that 64% of managers would
look for another job if their organization failed to provide them with opportunities to
learn, which rose to 80% for managers under the age of 35 years. n = 1,861

41
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2022) Jobs openings and labor turnover survey news release. Available at: https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/jolts_03092022.htm (Accessed 18 April 2024)
42
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2023) Jobs openings and labor turnover survey news release. Available at: https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/jolts_03082023.htm (Accessed 18 April
2024) 43 Pew Research Center (2022) Majority of workers who quit a job in 2021 cite low pay, no opportunities for advancement, feeling disrespected. Available at: https://www.pewresearch.org/short-
reads/2022/03/09/majority-of-workers-who-quit-a-job-in-2021-cite-low-pay-no-opportunities-for-advancement-feeling-disrespected/ (Accessed 19 May 2024) 44 KPMG (2023) Talent still the top issue
keeping business leaders up at night. Available at: https://home.kpmg/au/en/home/media/press-releases/2023/01/talent-still-top-issue-keeping-business-leaders-up-at-night-5-january-2023.html
(Accessed 16 January 2023) 45 Mind Tools for Business (2023) Leadership report: Turning pressures into opportunities. Available at https://mindtoolsbusiness.com/research-and-reports/turning-pressures-
into-opportunities (Accessed 4 July 2023) 46 LinkedIn Learning (2024) Workplace Learning Report. Available at: https://learning.linkedin.com/resources/workplace-learning-report (Accessed 16 May 2024)
47
Ibid. 48 INTOO (2024) Unlocking organizational success report 2024. Available at: https://resources.intoo.com/about-intoo/intoo-unlocking-organizational-success-report-2024 (Accessed 12 May 2024)
49
Culture Amp (2024) The biggest lie in HR: People quit bosses not companies. Available at: https://www.cultureamp.com/blog/biggest-lie-people-quit-bosses (Accessed 11 March 2024) 50 For a review
of research relevant to demographic shifts and generational diversity, see Mind Tools for Business (2023) Annual L&D Benchmark Report: Part Three. Available at: https://www.mindtools.com/business/
research/megatrends-reshaping-the-future/ (Accessed 10 March 2024)

28 Building Better Managers 2024

In 2024, organizations can just about consist of up
to five generations, prompting industry reports and
scientific studies to focus on the implications of this
diversity for workplace. Much of this work concludes
that younger generations care the most about learning
and development.51,52,53

And perhaps they’re right.

Perhaps younger generations have some shared life

experiences that have led them to value their own
continual development more than older generations. Or
maybe (and more likely) younger generations are just at
a different point in their careers.

Either way, younger managers – those who’ll go on to

help define the future of workplace management – care
about learning. Hold that thought as well.

51
INTOO (2024) Unlocking organizational success report 2024. Available at: https://resources.intoo.com/about-intoo/intoo-unlocking-organizational-success-report-2024 (Accessed 12 May 2024) 52
D’Amato, A. and Herzfeldt, R. (2008) ‘Learning orientation, organizational commitment and talent retention across generations: A study of European managers’, Journal of Managerial Psychology, 23(8), pp.
929-953. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940810904402 53 See Figure 7 in Mind Tools for Business (2023) Annual L&D Benchmark Report: Part Three. Available at: https://www.mindtools.com/business/
research/megatrends-reshaping-the-future/ (Accessed 10 March 2024)

Building Better Managers 2024 29

 Managerial magnetism: building a loyal workforce

For a long time, HR professionals have believed that Perhaps, when measured crudely and without context,
people leave managers, not organizations. However, this estimate is accurate. But our review suggests that
recent research has argued that the number of this figure should at least be in the region of 29% (see
employees choosing to leave an organization because Figure 15).
of their manager could be as low as 12%.54

Figure 15.
Top four reasons employees quit jobs
Below we have summarized our review of the research identifying the most common reasons employees
quit (or intended to quit) their jobs in 2022 and 2023.

Pay Career Manager or culture Flexibility

(38%) (33%) (29%) (25%)

Pew Research Center 63% 63% 59% 45%

n = 6,627, U.S. “Pay was “No opportunities for “Felt disrespected “Not enough
Retrospective too low” advancement at work” flexibility”

Employ 34% 13% 9% 21%

n = 1,200 “Getting more “Career “Bad manager or bad “Ability to work
2022

Retrospective money” advancement” company culture” remotely”

CIPD 35% 23% 24%

n = 6,000, U.K. “Better pay and “Want different type “Work-life
Intent benefits elsewhere” of work” balance”

41%
McKinsey 36% 34% 26%
“Lack of career
n = 13,381, Global “Inadequate total “Uncaring and “Lack of workplace
development and
Retrospective compensation” uninspiring leaders” flexibility”
advancement”

Betterworks 35% 30% 34%

n = 2,029, U.S. and
51%
“Career goals “Company “Flexible work
“Pay”
U.K. Intent and purpose” culture” options”

Snappy 18% 39% 19% 5%

n = 1,542, U.S. “More “Career “Bad manager or “Seeking work that’s
2023

Retrospective money” growth” company culture” fully remote”

CIPD 29% 18% 21% 22%

n = 3,272, U.K. “Better pay and “Different type “Senior “Better work-life
Retrospective conditions” of work” management” balance”

TopCV 35% 30% 30%

n = 350, U.K. “Earn more “Toxic boss or work “Lack of
Retrospective money” environment” flexibility”

Note. For each study summarized above, employees were asked about their decision to leave a previous job or why they would leave their current job. We have labelled
these research methods as ‘Retrospective’ and ‘Intent’, respectively. A full list of references for the research included in this table can be found at the end of this report.

54
Culture Amp (2024) The biggest lie in HR: People quit bosses not companies. Available at: https://www.cultureamp.com/blog/biggest-lie-people-quit-bosses (Accessed 11 March 2024)

30 Building Better Managers 2024

The reason people choose to leave a job is usually Although the youngest managers in our workforces care
more nuanced than simply “because of a bad the most about their personal professional development,
manager.” Many factors driving employees to move on less than half ranked “guidance” (or “identifying
are not directly related to management issues – even if development opportunities”) as one of the most
they are connected. important manager capabilities in 2024 (see Figure 16).
Of the 45% that did, just 11% gave it the top spot.
This chapter’s research reveals that employees are more
likely to quit if they don’t feel respected or lack adequate Ironically, a young manager’s enthusiasm for L&D
development opportunities. The first reason correlates fails to translate to the people they manage. Perhaps
with manager empathy and inclusive leadership, while younger managers don’t agree that developing people
the second relates to how well managers fulfill their role is integral to the job. But it’s hard to believe when 4 in
as learning champions in the business. 5 of them are willing to leave their companies if they
aren’t provided with learning opportunities.
Figure 16.
Top manager capabilities in 2024, split by manager age
Younger managers care the most about empathy and the least about openness.

n = 1,861 n = 314 n = 515 n = 523 n = 507

Rank

Active listening 60 57 64 60 63

Acknowledgement* 56 53 53 57 59

Coaching 53 52 51 53 58

Openness* 50 49 47 51 53

Delegation 47 45 46 47 50

Recognition* 43 44 46 46 42

Clear articulation* 43 44 46 43 40

Empathy 43 42 44 41 40

Self-awareness/self-regulation 39 40 44 40 28

Vision setting* 27 26 24 31 26

Social sensitivity 19 25 17 18 17

Leveraging diversity* 15 25 15 12 17

Average <35 35–44 45–54 55>

Manager age (years)

Note. Numbers refer to the % of managers who included each capability in their list of the “top five more important capabilities for managers”, ordered in terms of rank
(capabilities at the top of the graph were rated as the most important to managers). *Since we collected the above data in March 2024, we have conducted a second
review of the literature. In light of this, we have revised these capability names to better reflect the concepts they describe. In order, “acknowledgement” has been replaced
by “recognition”, “openness” replaced by “trust”, “recognition” by “guidance”, “clear articulation” by “transparent communication”, “vision setting” by “goal setting”, and
“leveraging diversity” by “inclusive leadership”. For definitions of these capabilities, please see Figure 3.

Building Better Managers 2024 31

 Perhaps business leaders aren’t clearly defining By being inclusive (including in a learning capacity, e.g.,
managers’ responsibilities or the significance of this collaborating with employees to co-design programs
aspect of the job. This might explain why younger and learning approaches) and offering diverse
managers are most eager to know their organization’s learning experiences, managers also contribute to the
priorities for 2024 (see Figure 17). development of healthier learning cultures. And it’s
no coincidence that organizations with the strongest
Or perhaps organizations don’t prioritize learning learning cultures report the highest rates of retention.55
enough. According to L&D leaders in 2023, only 59%
of organizations expect managers to take responsibility
for developing the skills of their people; a stark
reminder that many businesses still don’t acknowledge
that management is about people. Organizations with the
strongest learning cultures
When the data is laid bare, it’s not difficult to join the
dots. Managers play a pivotal role in the business; report the highest rates
one that extends well beyond the responsibilities that of retention.”
traditionally fall under their remit. Through the working
environments they foster and the support they provide,
they influence the likelihood of talented employees
sticking around.

Figure 17.
Young managers are asking for direction

“I want to know what my organization thinks I should

be focusing on in my managerial role”

Under 35 years 47%

35–44 years 40%

45–54 years 38%

Over 55 years 37%

Note. n = 2,001

32 Building Better Managers 2024

7 General
General
Summary
Summary

Building Better Managers 2024 33

 Half of managers do not make time for their We also found that:
professional development because they have “too
many competing priorities.” They’re feeling maxed out, 80% of managers we surveyed
and it’s not surprising. Over time, the manager role has were promoted because they were
evolved, but there has been no clear transition in duty. 1
good at their job, not because they
Organizations haven’t assessed and adjusted their wanted to manage people.
expectations of managers; they’ve only added to them.

Traditional managers are task-oriented and focus on

objectives, outputs and outcomes. Modern managers Managers who were unhappy with
behave more like leaders – they align teams, shape the management training they had
cultures and coach people. And while they are still
2
received were significantly less
required to set goals, meet deadlines and deliver capable than happy managers.
high performance, they must now do so in the context
of building effective working relationships, fostering
innovation and developing others.
And, above all things, managers wanted to
The shift from focusing on tasks to focusing on people 3 “measure their strengths and weaknesses
is a positive one. People are at the heart of successful to identify areas of improvement.”
businesses, which is why we have concentrated on the
manager capabilities that get the best out of them.

In this report, we have shown how people-centric It’s unreasonable for organizations to assume that new
capabilities, like empathy, contribute to wider business managers will be qualified because they’re technically
goals, like employee retention. And how, when competent. It’s important to check that development
organizations commit to developing these capabilities in opportunities meet learning needs and expectations.
managers, they realize their potential. Managers who are And it’s essential to identify reliable ways to measure
supported with resources, formal courses and training the capabilities of managers – even for the most
are better coaches, goal setters and learning champions. experienced, there’s a self-reported difference of 13%
between the capabilities managers are good at and the
capabilities they think they’re good at.56

All of these insights have led us to conclude that

good managers aren’t born – they’re built, and
organizations have a responsibility to help build them.

Managers who are supported

with resources, formal courses
and training are better
coaches, goal setters and
learning champions.”

56
On average, 55% of managers who had been in role for more than five years agreed that they were “good” at the 12 capabilities included in our manager capability framework. When we asked
managers about their behaviors in the last six months (e.g., the extent to which they had “regularly checked in with their team about their development, career and aspirations” or “mediated their
feelings, so that they do not have a negative impact on others”), we found that managers had engaged in 68% of behaviors related to the same 12 capabilities. In other words, they were better than they
thought they were.

34 Building Better Managers 2024

8 Methodology

Building Better Managers 2024 35

 The data presented in this report was collected in
partnership with YouGov in March 2024.57 A total of
2,001 managers across the U.K. completed the survey.
Managers were mid-level in their organizations and
responsible for at least one other person at work, either
within a single team or across multiple teams. Managers
were surveyed across 12 industries (excluding those
who had reported “other”) and mostly belonged to
organizations with 50 or more employees (67%). Almost
two-thirds of managers had been directly managing
other people for more than three years, and most (76%)
were responsible for between 1 and 10 employees.

Much of the data in this report is summarized as

percentages but we have also performed advanced
statistical tests to understand the relationships,
differences and patterns we’ve observed. The claims
and predictions we make in our reports are based
on statistical significance, for which we use a p-value
of .05 as our cut-off. This means that there is less
than a 5% probability that the results we observe are
random (and, therefore, a 95% probability that we’ve
stumbled on something pretty important!). Some of the
statistical tests we have used in this research include:

Cronbach’s alpha
Correlation
Linear and multiple regression

To perform these tests, we have used the statistical

software package R. If you have any questions
or would like to know more about how we have
analyzed our data, please contact us directly.

Where other research has been cited in the report,

we have included full references in the footnotes with
accompanying links to each source. All of Mind Tools’
earlier reports, some of which we draw from in this
report, can be found on our website:
https://www.mindtools.com/business/research/

57
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2,001 middle managers. Fieldwork was undertaken between 13th and 22nd March 2024. The survey was carried out online.

36 Building Better Managers 2024

9 Appendix

Building Better Managers 2024 37

 Table 2.
Research evidence showing the impact of manager capabilities on the business

Below we have summarized some of the key scientific studies that have demonstrated relationships between
our 12 manager capabilities and core people-, manager- and business-outcomes.

People outcomes Manager outcomes Business outcomes

Catalyst, 2021 When managers lack empathy, employees are 34%

less innovative and 43% less engaged.

Rahman & Castelli, 2013 Younger leaders are more empathetic than
older leaders. High empathy predicts leadership
effectiveness (in terms of motivation, openness,
communication, trust and adaptability) and
organizational performance (in terms of profit
Empathy and growth).
Dietz & Kleinlogel, 2014 Managers with higher empathy are more likely
to make decisions that are both morally and
economically optimal.

Scott et al., 2010 Employees working for empathetic managers

experience fewer physical ailments and more
positive emotions.

Church, 1997 High-performing managers are more self-aware than

Emotional intelligence

average-performing managers.

Groulx et al., 2024 Emotionally-exhausted managers who are unable to

maintain emotional control have a negative impact on
their team’s psychological safety and readiness
to change.
Self-awareness and
self-regulation Zamahani & Rezaei, Self-aware managers promote organizational
2014 commitment in employees (including altruism
and loyalty).

Yeow & Martin, 2013 Leaders who are trained to self-regulate are rated as
being more effective at their job and report higher
financial performance for their teams.

Bender et al., 2012 Social sensitivity predicts team performance and

satisfaction…

Lacher & Beihl, 2019 … including for virtual teams.

Social sensitivity

Rezaeian et al., 2017 Social sensitivity improves decision making in

social settings.

38 Building Better Managers 2024

Table 2. (Cont.)
People outcomes Manager outcomes Business outcomes

Brower et al., 2009 Mutual manager-employee trust improves

performance and organizational citizenship
behavior and reduces employee turnover.

De Klerk, 2012 Trust is identified as the single and most important

mediator of effective business relationships
and networks.

Trust
Brown et al., 2015 Employee-manager trust correlates with financial
performance, employee productivity and
product/service quality.

Crossley, Cooper & Employee-manager trust facilitates the relationship

Wernsing, 2013 between challenging sales goals and sales
performance. In a case study in the U.S., the
difference in annual sales for high-trust vs. low-trust
managers was US$3.16 million.
Carmeli et al., 2010 Inclusive leadership promotes psychological safety
which leads to employee creativity and innovation.
Motivate people

Nguyen et al., 2019 Inclusive leaders positively influence employee well-

being, person-job fit and innovation. Innovation plays
Inclusive leadership a mediating role in the relationship between person-
job fit and job performance.

Fang, Dai & Zhang, 2021 By motivating employees, inclusive leaders

who are open and accessible have a positive
effect on business model innovation (e.g.,
developing new value propositions) and
boundary-spanning exploration.
Peterson & Luthans, When managers are trained to deliver performance
2006 feedback and social recognition, their teams are 36%
more profitable, customers are 25% more satisfied
and employees are 10% less likely to leave. These
benefits are sustained over time.
Scherbaum et al., 2021 Sales and customer satisfaction increases when
managers receive training to deliver nonmonetary,
social recognition to their employees.

Upadhyay, 2018 Personalized and specific nonmonetary recognition of

Recognition
employees by managers moderates the relationship
between employees’ perception of managers
as “transformational” and the likelihood of them
performing organizational citizenship behaviors.
Canon, 2015 Recognition from a manager correlates with emotional
wellbeing (employees are happier), retention
(employees are less likely to leave), commitment
(employees are more committed to the business),
organizational citizenship behavior (employees
volunteer for additional work beyond their role),
and performance.

Building Better Managers 2024 39

 Table 2. (Cont.)
People outcomes Manager outcomes Business outcomes

Kriz et al., 2021 Active listening reduces job insecurity.

Jonsdottir & Kristinsson, Active-empathic listening improves the dedication

2020 of employees.
Active listening

Kluger et al., 2024 Listening predicts work outcomes, particularly the

quality and strength of working relationships. By
improving working relationships, listening enhances
job performance, and is a more powerful predictor of
success than giving feedback.
Culture Amp, 2024 52% of employees quit their job in 2024 because of a
lack of development opportunities.
Develop people

Guidance
Hollar et al., 2022 Recommending development opportunities improves
job satisfaction, retention and engagement.

Ladyshewsky & Taplin, Managerial coaching skills predict

2018 employee engagement.

Dawber, 2019 Coaching covers all aspects of employee

development (including recommending development
opportunities). Positive outcomes of coaching include
engagement (e.g., increases self-directed learning),
collaboration and employee development (e.g., when
Coaching coached, employees report feeling more confident
at work).
Smith, 2019 Managerial coaching skills are essential for solving
team challenges.

Ribeiro et al., 2021 Employees’ perceptions of managerial coaching skills

positively correlate with their affective commitment
to the business and their performance.

40 Building Better Managers 2024

Table 2. (Cont.)
People outcomes Manager outcomes Business outcomes

Kim, Park & Cameron, Transparent communication accounts for 16% of

2017 variance in engagement (in terms of vigor, dedication
and absorption). Greater transparent communication
also correlates with a positive organization reputation.
Men, 2014 When organizations communicate transparently,
employees evaluate organizations more favorably.

Transparent
communication
Walden, Jung & When employees are provided with adequate and
Westerman, 2017 thorough information about their job performance and
workplace challenges, they are more committed to
the business and less likely to leave.
Kalogiannidis, 2020 Effective downward communication improves
employee performance in terms of work quality,
contribution to the business and self-directedness.

Steinmann et al., 2018 When transformational managers set goals,

Set expectations

employees are happier, more proactive and more

committed to the business.

LinkedIn Learning, 2014 Employees with career goals are four times more
likely to engage with learning.

Goal setting
Crossley, Cooper & More proactive managers set more challenging goals,
Wernsing, 2013 which leads to higher sales performance.

Lartey, 2021 52% of variance in employee engagement is

explained by career planning, employee autonomy
and manager recognition. Career planning is the most
significant predictor of all three.
Schriesheim et al., 1998 Effective delegation correlates with job satisfaction
and performance.

Delegation
Zhang et al., 2017 Psychological empowerment mediates the positive
relationship between effective delegation and
feedback-seeking behaviors.

Note. A full list of references for the research included in this table can be found at the end of this report.

Building Better Managers 2024 41

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