Managers have always faced high expectations, but with changes in workforce demographics, hybrid schedules, and quickly evolving cultural demands, the bar for performance — especially for people leadership skills — is higher than ever. As a result, both experienced and new managers can encounter skills gaps.
These gaps can initially be subtle, but if left unaddressed, they can erode an organization's culture and business performance.
Understanding the Skills Gap
Not only is the workforce changing, but with the rise of artificial intelligence technology, the pace of change is accelerating. Experienced leaders may find that their traditional methods of managing are less effective than they used to be and need to obtain new strategies through upskilling, explained SHRM CHRO Jim Link, SHRM-SCP.
“Upskilling is taking someone who has a current skill in a specific area and giving them more of that same skill and capability in that specific area,” Link said.
On the other hand, first-time managers may benefit from “new skilling,” which provides skills to those without existing capability in a specific function. Programs such as SHRM’s PMQ+ are designed to support both approaches — helping first-time managers build foundational people skills while enabling experienced leaders to refresh and expand their capabilities as expectations evolve in a sustained, systematic way. PMQ+ combines SHRM’s People Manager Qualification with one-on-one professional mentorship.
Regardless of whether a manager is new or experienced, companies should anticipate the need to offer leaders continued development to keep pace as the business environment evolves and new skills gaps emerge, Link said.
The Subtleties of Skills Gaps
Sometimes, it is obvious when a leader has a skills gap. If it’s their first time managing people, it is understood they may need to enhance their people management skills.
However, sometimes, the skills gap is subtle. The gap develops over time and may not be easily noticed until a manager’s team experiences confusion over goals, rising tension, or high turnover. At this point, companies must not only provide managerial skills moving forward, but they must also try to mitigate the damage the skills gap has done to the team's trust and the manager’s confidence.
“It’s vital to recognize the signs of skill gaps early,” Link said. “Many people believe warning signs are things like decreased employee engagement, negative survey results, and higher absenteeism and turnover. Those things are all certainly warning signs, but they're lagging indicators.”
Instead, Link suggested looking for leading indicators in the business or product performance results.
“If you’re a line manager in a manufacturing facility and you're supposed to produce 5,000 widgets a day on your shift and you're only producing 4,000, that's the first sign something's amok,” Link said. “And this is before you know people aren't showing up for work or aren’t happy or have a low engagement score.”
Practical Ways to Address Identified Gaps
Once an issue, such as a breakdown in business performance, is identified, the first step is to pinpoint the source. If the source is people-related, Link suggested performing an assessment or analysis to determine where the real skills gap lies.
If the gap is related to leadership skills, the next step is to find a methodology to address the issue.
“This methodology can vary significantly,” Link said. “It’s everything from coaching to an actual learning and development exercise. There are many solutions you can deploy once you understand the gap and the problem. The key is ensuring you understand not just the symptomatic reason, but the core base reason of what's going on in an organization with an employee.”
Although methodologies for addressing skills gaps may vary, it is crucial to have a structured and consistent approach to identify and scale pathways that keep skills current and relevant. Tools such as SHRM's PMQ+ offer a structured, repeatable way to quickly fill skills gaps and build managers’ confidence. confidence.
By recognizing skills gaps early and investing in consistent development, organizations build confident, capable managers who create stronger teams and healthier cultures.
“Start with the end in mind, which is making the business better,” Link said. “Because if you make the business better, you will make the people better.”
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