New Managers: Why the Transition Is Harder Than We Think

Being promoted into management is often seen as a sign that someone is doing a great job. They are good at what they do. They are trusted. They know the organisation. They have demonstrated commitment and potential. So, when a management opportunity comes along, promotion can seem like the obvious next step.

But becoming a manager isn't simply a promotion. It is a significant transition – and one that we often underestimate. The skills that make someone successful in their previous role are not necessarily the skills they need to manage other people well.

And when we don't recognise that, we can set good people up to struggle.

The shift from doing to leading

One of the biggest challenges for a new manager is letting go of the idea that their value comes primarily from what they personally achieve.

As an individual contributor, success might mean solving problems, delivering high-quality work, meeting deadlines or being the person everyone turns to when something needs fixing.

As a manager, the measures of success change. Your role becomes less about having all the answers yourself and more about creating the conditions for other people to succeed. That can be uncomfortable.

A new manager may find themselves thinking:

“It would be quicker if I just did it myself.”

“I'm not sure how to tell them they're not meeting expectations.”

“I used to be one of the team – I don't want them to think I've changed.”

“What if they ask me something and I don't know the answer?”

These aren't signs that someone isn't management material. They are often signs that someone is learning a completely different job.

Managing people is a skill – not a personality trait

There is a persistent idea that some people are simply “natural managers”.

Of course, some people may find particular aspects of leadership more intuitive than others. But effective management involves a set of skills that can be learned, practised and developed. For example:

·       Giving clear expectations.

·       Delegating effectively.

·       Giving and receiving feedback.

·       Having difficult conversations.

·       Managing performance.

·       Coaching and developing others.

·       Navigating conflict and disagreement.

·       Building trust.

·       Understanding your own impact on other people.

None of these things become easier simply because someone has been given a job title. And there's another complication:

New managers are often learning these skills while simultaneously trying to work out what kind of manager they want to be.

The challenge of managing former peers

For many new managers, the transition is particularly complicated when they are promoted within their existing team. Yesterday, you were colleagues. Today, you're responsible for their performance.

You may need to challenge someone who was previously a friend. You may have to make decisions that affect people you worked alongside. You may no longer be able to share information in the same way.

It can feel uncomfortable to create a little more professional distance when what you really want is to remain approachable and liked. This is where compassionate leadership matters.

Being compassionate doesn't mean avoiding challenge or lowering expectations.

In fact, good management requires both compassion and competence: understanding people and their circumstances while also being willing to be clear, consistent and accountable.

A new manager needs the confidence to have the conversation that might feel uncomfortable now, rather than allowing a small issue to become a much bigger one later.

Why does this matter so much?

It matters because managers have a significant influence on people's experience of work. Gallup's research suggests that managers account for around 70% of the variance in team-level employee engagement.

And the impact goes beyond engagement. Research from the CIPD found clear links between the quality of line management and employees' performance, health and wellbeing. Employees with higher-quality managers were more likely to report positive outcomes, while those experiencing poorer management were more likely to report that work had a negative impact on their mental health.

Yet organisations can't simply expect managers to get it right without support. The latest CIPD Good Work Index found that only 60% of managers said they had the training and information they needed to manage people well, while 59% said they had the time they needed.

So, when we promote someone into management without giving them the support to make that transition successfully, the consequences aren't confined to the individual manager. They can ripple out across the team.

So why do organisations sometimes leave new managers to work it out?

Partly, I think, because management development can be treated as an individual responsibility. We promote someone and perhaps send them on a management course. Then we assume they will apply what they've learned and get on with it.

But a workshop, however good, cannot prepare someone for every situation they will encounter. New managers need opportunities to practise. They need support from their own managers. They need somewhere to reflect on what is happening. They need feedback, challenge and encouragement.

And the evidence suggests there is still work to do here. In the CIPD's research, only 53% of line managers said they received enough support, through training and information, to carry out their people-management responsibilities well. Exactly half said they had the time they needed to manage people effectively.

That tells us something important: we can't simply tell managers to manage better. We have to create the conditions that enable them to do so. If we're telling new managers to have regular development conversations, for example, but their own manager only speaks to them when something goes wrong, we're sending a rather mixed message.

The organisational cost of getting it wrong

This isn't simply about helping new managers feel more confident. The quality of management has a much wider impact.

Managers shape people's day-to-day experience of work. They influence whether people feel valued, whether expectations are clear, whether good work is recognised and whether concerns are addressed.

Poor management can contribute to disengagement, performance problems, conflict and people choosing to leave.

Good management can create clarity, connection and the conditions in which people can do their best work.

That makes supporting new managers more than a nice-to-have development activity. It is an investment in the experience and performance of the people they lead – and ultimately in the organisation itself.

What do new managers really need?

There isn't a single formula, because every organisation and every individual is different. But I believe effective new-manager development needs to go beyond a tick-box introduction to management.

It should help people understand the transition they are making, develop practical management skills and build the self-awareness to understand their impact on others. It should give them space to talk about the situations they are actually facing. And it should help them develop the confidence to lead with both competence and compassion.

Most importantly, we need to stop seeing new-manager development as something we do to new managers and start seeing it as something we do with them.

Because becoming a manager isn't the end of someone's development. It's the beginning of a very different kind of learning. And if we want people to thrive at work, we need to give the people leading them the support they need to thrive in their role too.

Faye Beddow

Leadership & People Development Consultant

I help managers tackle tough challenges with competence and compassion, creating workplaces where people thrive.