Your Company Can’t Thrive if Your Managers Are Struggling

Investments in leadership development programs have remarkably increased, so why are managers still struggling and burning out? The uncomfortable truth is that the current development programs don't equip managers well enough to navigate the changing world of work.

Organizational structures are getting flatter with each passing year. Cultural and technological shifts have enabled enterprise-level change, and evolving work demands exceed organizations’ delivery capacity. 

Managers are taking the brunt of these transformations and shortages; 75% of HR leaders are overwhelmed with their ever-expanding scope of duties (as per a 2025 Gartner report). 

Too many responsibilities and little to no ongoing manager performance support create a pool of struggling managers that adversely impacts an organization's economic health. According to Gallup's State of the Global Workplace 2025 report, manager engagement has dropped three points, from 30% to 27% in 2025, affecting entire teams.

This blog sheds light on the plight of managers, how their workloads render them incapable of leading effectively, and the lack of emotional and performance support for their ongoing development.

Why are Managers Struggling?

Manager roles are being reshaped so often and dramatically that most managers feel at least one step behind. In the last few years alone, companies have reengineered processes, adopted digitization, eliminated entire management layers, initiated layoffs, and introduced remote setups. Today,

• Managers are responsible for more direct reports than ever before.

• Their teams work cross-functionally and are geographically dispersed.

• They work in agile environments, where shorter turnaround times and innovation take priority.

• They are expected to continuously upgrade their staff’s technical competencies to keep pace with digitization.

• Lastly, teams today comprise both remote and in-office workers, and it's up to managers to engage them.

Companies need to acknowledge that the growing volume and pace of change have left both managers and their teams fatigued. While employees rely on managers for emotional support, managers’ struggles usually go overlooked. Even though investing in manager performance support has increased, results remain lacking. 

5 Signs Your Managers are Struggling

There are subtle signs that indicate managers may be struggling to perform effectively:

1. Managers under immense pressure to deliver may resort to micromanagement. 

2. Managers who aren't trained to handle conflict or challenging conversations may dodge performance reviews or hesitate to provide feedback.

3. Stressed or fearful of repercussions, their decision-making and innovation tendencies may be affected.

4. Managers who are overwhelmed by everyday tasks or status meetings may contribute less to broader strategic discussions or long-term planning.

5. Those who feel less comfortable with people management might overly rely on data, metrics, or KPIs to avoid empathetic leadership.

How Can Organizations Support Struggling Managers?

As companies look to improve organizational outcomes, how can they support managers to do their best work—and, by extension, ensure businesses thrive? We've highlighted 4 essential steps company leaders can take:

1. The foremost step is to recognize that your managers are struggling. Conduct an audit of their workload, bandwidth, and the challenges they're facing. Hold two-way sessions and ask pointed questions:

• Do you feel like you're stretched too thin by your responsibilities?

• Is there any aspect of your role you would like more coaching on? Perhaps assistance with using a new tool the company has added, or training to lead dispersed remote teams?

• How can the company support you better? Would it help to reprioritize or delegate some of your responsibilities?

Managers struggling or experiencing burnout might simply not know how to ask for help. Proactively anticipating their needs and engaging them in open conversations can help them feel heard and understood.

1. Companies need to rethink their approach to developing leaders. Learning and development should focus more on networking events and creating peer connections that allow for: 1) the real-time application of acquired skills, and

   2) supportive discussions on shared managerial challenges.

   Companies also need to be more consistent with their leadership development program designs. Most managers rarely ever receive ongoing managerial training beyond their initial onboarding or promotion to new roles. Lastly, change management training should be essential to leadership development programs to prevent change fatigue and associated adverse business outcomes.

2. Create a culture where manager performance support takes priority. To develop a high-performing organization, building a culture where leadership is supported at every level, including middle management is essential. Any effort to improve workplace mental health and wellbeing should acknowledge that managers require support too, often more than individual contributors.

3. Empower your managers to make decisions autonomously—allow them to lead their teams how they see fit. Organizational cultures that are intolerant of mistakes or failures unwittingly create micromanagers who discourage autonomy and risk-taking.