Why being a manager is not a right, it should be earned. Discord, mistrust and dissatisfaction within teams are all traits of bad management. Many of us will have experienced bad management and sadly fewer of us will have experienced strong leadership. The sort of leadership which inspires, empowers and supports. A person who cultivates a strong culture where employees thrive.
There appears to be a school of thought that if you have spent time and excelled in a role within your organisation, an automatic promotion and the next step is to manage a team. Managing a team and succeeding in a role are very different animals and it is time that business leaders, founders and CEOs ensured a different way of finding their team leaders or indeed finding ways to upskill their current managers and create a strong company culture. Ultimately, having bad managers affects the success of your business. It could lead to a high turnover of staff which is costly to a business and it could lead to teams feeling unmotivated and therefore becoming inefficient. These are all problems to be avoided for small businesses already operating in difficult times.
The last recorded figures from the CIPD/YouGov UK Working Lives/Good Work Index 2022 surveys show that almost 10 million people in the UK are line managers. However, of those 10 million people, how many are equipped with the skills to manage and develop people effectively?
Through my 30 years of helping businesses to scale up, the major issues we face and the first we tackle are team efficiency, team leadership and management structure. We constantly find the wrong people leading teams. This has a profound impact on the productivity and success of people and must be addressed by CEOs and decision-makers.
There is this idea that we all have it in us to be a good manager, and that is not true. The reality is that very few of us have the learnt skills to be good managers and help a business to be a success. Just because someone excels in a role does not guarantee success in a managerial role. A manager should have skills like delegation, motivation, conflict resolution, and strategic thinking. These skills are learnt and not just acquired with time working in a company.
When I talk to employees about their managers, those who do not feel supported by their managers say that the instructions they give are not clear. They rarely listen to concerns and feedback, they micromanage, and do not allow their team to develop their decision-making skills. Some even feel that their managers hold personal biases towards them. Businesses often accept their bad managers which can sometimes make the problem about the employees. However, by not addressing a bad manager, you could ruin your business as it will inevitably lead to a high turnover of staff which is costly and a lack of trust in the culture of the business which can affect reputation which in turn will cause a real problem for the productivity of the business.
The few truly great managers I have encountered embody a unique blend of qualities that set them apart. They are consistently supportive and stand by their teams, not just during moments of triumph but also through challenges and setbacks. Their leadership is marked by decisiveness, and they can clearly analyse complex situations which enable them to make clear, effective decisions which ultimately guide their teams forward.
What has become apparent throughout my work with small businesses across the UK is that a good leader embodies fairness and it is this that is at the core of their approach. They treat every team member with consistency and respect, ensuring no one feels overlooked or undervalued. Beyond that, they actively nurture independence, trusting their teams to take ownership of their work while fostering an environment of continuous learning and growth. Strong managers like this inspire confidence, loyalty, and a shared commitment to succeed. However, while some of these qualities are innate – many more are learned and require skill.
CEOs and decision-makers have a responsibility to ensure their leadership teams and managers are continually evolving through ongoing education and skill development. Regular management training and refreshers should be a non-negotiable part of their professional journey. It is about equipping your managers and team leaders to navigate the ever-changing challenges of leadership effectively. High-quality, accessible and affordable online training courses are readily available. Therefore, there is no excuse for neglecting investment in a team’s capabilities. Prioritising continuous learning fosters innovation, adaptability, and resilience within an organisation. This, ultimately, cultivates a culture of learning among leadership and strengthens the entire company. As CEOs and founders, you want to ensure your organisation or business remains competitive, dynamic, and well-prepared for the future.