Managers Are Overwhelmed. How Leadership Development Can Help Them

Shifting economic forecasts, mass layoffs, political turmoil, inflation, and exhausting news cycles have people feeling like they lack control. That troubled feeling is seeping into the workplace in the form of costly employee burnout.“Managers now really need support to address and handle the shifts and the impact on their teams, their functions, even, quite frankly, themselves,” said Rochelle Arnold-Simmons, the senior director of talent management at sportswear company Under Armor, during the closing panel at From Day One’s March virtual conference on employee engagement.Managers are taking on more responsibilities, and while their work is being supported by new innovations in HR tech, it doesn’t entirely solve the problem of being overwhelmed. Employers can step in to help alleviate their burdens, panelists said.The Problem of Unprepared First-Time ManagerIt begins with promoting and training the right managers.The first-time manager unprepared for the role is a major issue for employers. Managers often get the job because they were top individual contributors, “and a lot of times they lean heavily on what got them to that promotion in the first place, but being a manager is a totally different job,” said Derek Greenacre, head of talent management at commercial insurance firm AXA XL. Organizations, he said, need to do a better job of helping new managers “ruthlessly prioritize” what’s most valuable for the business.The problem is, executives don’t always bother to help. Executive coach Adam Weber gave this example: An executive team makes a big strategic change that affects everyone in the business, but they fail to give managers context or instructions on how to implement the changes. “As soon as they share this new bold initiative, their team asks the one question that the manager doesn’t have the answer to,” Weber said. “So the manager is in this really confusing spot: They can either fake it–and it’s really obvious to the team that they’re faking it–or worse, and more common is that they commiserate and join the team.”Executives need managers on board,  but without support, they set them up to oppose the change, even tacitly. “As leadership teams, we need to share as much context as we possibly can when big decisions are made.” Gather managers for a town hall and ask, “What’s the toughest question your team will ask?’” Provide answers to those FAQs. “Equip them to be an advocate for the company,” Weber said.Feeling Safe Enough to FailManagers must feel comfortable and confident enough to press leaders for more information. It helps to have a culture where senior leaders are already candid about the mistakes they make themselves, said Kavita Juvvadi, director of HR tech transformation at Amtrak. This sets the tone for a team “where there is no fear of retaliation or criticism, a culture where mistakes are normalized and treated as opportunities to learn from, rather than failures.” In short: psychological safety.Of course, ask any manager and they will tell you that their team is psychologically safe, but how do you really know? “If all the decisions are escalated to the top level, that’s an indication that people don’t feel empowered,” she said, “They may be afraid to make the decisions for fear of being wrong.”Developing Managers Within the OrganizationMore than 11,000 Baby Boomers turn 65 every day, which means employers are facing rafts of retirements and open leadership roles. Not only are companies losing years of institutional knowledge, they have to spur succession plans and prepare new managers to climb the ladder.This is especially true for industries like accounting and insurance, which over-index for older workers. This is what Greenacre is facing at AXA XL. To prepare, the company has invested quite a bit of money into building skill profiles for key roles. They then map them across the organization and say, “I know you’ve only thought of yourself in this particular product line, but have you considered other places where you might be able to almost cross pollinate the other?”Journalist Emily McCrary-Ruiz-Esparza moderated the panel (photo by From Day One)One way to avoid new manager regret is to begin vetting and training them years ahead of time. This is why Juvvadi prefers to fill leadership roles internally, “because we have an opportunity to observe talent over a longer period of time,” watching those who “may not have a title but are problem-solvers, who naturally identify inefficiencies, who are action-oriented, who are early adopters of technology and innovation. Future leaders are sometimes hidden stars in non-traditional roles.”Arnold-Simmons likes to identify high-potential people early and invest in their careers, in part to retain them, with things like executive coaching and career development. “We look to see where our gaps are, and then find those leaders that we believe can accelerate.”Even if you’re not regretting the promotions the company has made and you’re satisfied with your succession strategy, don’t neglect your people managers. “No matter how big your company is, it’s better to do something than nothing” to help them do their jobs, said Weber. He recommended two things: First, create a one-page guide on what it means to be a manager in your organization” expectations for one-on-ones, how to give feedback to team members, and how to delegate tasks. And second, gather managers to problem-solve together. “Have one person show up with a problem and let people ask questions, then start brainstorming ways to solve the problem together.”Emily McCrary-Ruiz-Esparza is an independent journalist and From Day One contributing editor who writes about business and the world of work. Her work has appeared in the Economist, the BBC, The Washington Post, Inc., and Business Insider, among others. She is the recipient of a Virginia Press Association award for business and financial journalism.(Photo by wenich-mit/iStock)