WHY DO MANAGERS MATTER MORE THAN EVER?
They shape the day-to-day environment for their people, influence how teams feel, operate and grow, and ultimately set the tone for what the culture actually feels like on the ground. For most, a manager isn't just a point of contact—they're the reason to stay and thrive, or choose to walk away.
And the data backs it up:
Managers are responsible for 70% of employee engagement
Engaged employees are two times more productive than non-engaged employees
Engaged employees drive 23% more profitability
And yet, managers are more disengaged than ever. In Gallup's State of the Workplace 2025 data, only 27% of global managers say they are engaged.
WHAT DO MANAGERS NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL?
They need clarity, development, and support.
This means setting clear expectations, helping them build the skills to meet them, and being there with support in the moments that matter most, for their people, their teams, and the organization.
Introducing THE MANAGER LAB
An ecosystem to build world-class managers.
ASSESS
Competence and confidence in the essential manager skills needed to be world-class
Measured through self and team assessment on essential manager skills
LEARN
In an engaging, innovative, practical and flexible way that meets managers where they are
Experienced through Skill Labs, multi-day Immersions, and a self led digital experience
PRACTICE
On the job actions to change behavior and build habits in the flow of work
Activated through 5-minute daily micro-lessons with MANAGER365 by
EMBED
Through safe community space to learn, share best practices and get support
Brought to life by regular manager community events that enable learning at scale
FUELED BY REAL-TIME DATA, ANALYTICS, AND INSIGHTS FOR THE ORGANIZATION AND THEIR MANAGERS
Want to learn how The Manager Lab can help your team?
Reach out to learn more
Leadership prioritization and investment falls short...
Senior leadership drastically underestimates the power thier managers have on the organization. They fail to see the impact that managers have, and often don’t think about it in real terms. They are so far away from the employee experience that they do not see the person their employees interact with most on a day-to-day basis is their manager, they make or break the expereince. Peole don't leave bad companies, they leave bad managers.
Organizations are wasting their resources on manager development interventions that are outdated and don't work. Many organizations are still pulling managers from their day job to learn something new and then sending them back to it with no form of accountability and no way of knowing what has changed. The learning is hyperthetical and not grounded in their real-life day-to-day challenges, making it difficult to practice and apply.
When they go get it right they are often focusedin on developing the wrong things. We focus on the 'moments that matter' to the employee, the moments we expect managers to take action e.g. performance review, compensation, career discussion. These are all prices driven moments, the manager makes a difference in every single interaction, not just the ones that require them to fill in a form or input into a system.
There are many barriers that get in the way of development being impactful...
WHY IS IT DIFFICULT TO GET IT RIGHT?
WANT TO FIND OUT MORE?
LISTEN
Go Coach Yourself! Podcast is co-hosted by Vic Smith the founder of The Manager Lab, listen to her talk about the power of investing in managers and why it is so important, now more than ever.
REACH OUT
We love talking about managers and how to support them. Drop us an email to learn more about The Manager Lab.
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