Under Investing In First Line Managers
3 February 2026Why do organizations continue to under-invest in building the skills and capabilities of their first line managers?
We know this is the case from multiple studies that tell us that less than half of first line managers receive training as leaders and all too often this only takes place long after they are appointed.
And yet, as Gallup research has shown, managers are by far the biggest source of variation in team engagement. Hence the quote we are all familiar with…people leave managers not organizations.
So this inaction is a bit of mystery.
Could it be that senior leaders don’t fully understand the context in which their first line managers are operating and are therefore no longer clear on how to develop them? Or that performance expectations for the role have become confused?
Clarifying our expectations of the first line manager role can help us get this right.
What we need from first line managers in a dynamic and frequently unstable environment is the capability to:
▶️ Connect: Managers are the glue connecting team members’ day to day work to organizational goals. They are key to aligning these and helping team members find meaning and value in their work.
▶️ Communicate: Team members look to their line manager for clarity on priorities, feedback on their work and to listen when they have ideas or need support.
▶️ Coach: Helping team members build their skills creates capability for the organization, space for the line manager to focus on what they need to do and growth for the individual. People stay with organizations that offer growth.
▶️ Lead Change: All of the above are critical to helping teams navigate and adapt to change, a challenge that organizations continuously experience. With these capabilities, first line managers can translate change into practical action.
✅ With a focus on these expectations, we can re-think what development needs to look like for line managers.
What are you doing to help your first line managers build these capabilities?
