Why new managers fail

In most organisations, intelligence and competence are considered the key drivers of success. We promote our high performers into management roles based on their technical competence rather than their suitability for managing people.

In a management position, employees are no longer simply judged on technical proficiency, they are also evaluated on their interpersonal skills such as providing constructive feedback; holding difficult conversations; and influencing the behaviour of others.

Our research suggests that instead of holding members of their team accountable, 75% of managers take on extra work every week to compensate for under-performing staff. Those who do raise concerns don’t always see the results they’re expecting as 80% see bad habits return within three months.