Why Managers Matter More Than Ever
A bad boss can affect everything—from your daily stress levels to your long-term career growth. It’s no surprise, then, that poor management is often a dealbreaker for professionals.
LinkedIn’s latest Workforce Confidence Survey found that 7 in 10 U.S. employees would consider leaving their job if they had a bad manager. That number may shock some, but it’s consistent with what we see across multiple studies. A GoodHire survey of 3,000 U.S. workers, for example, revealed that 82% would consider quitting because of a bad manager.
The challenge is compounded by the fact that fewer people want to step into leadership roles. LinkedIn’s survey also found that only 30% of individual contributors want to become managers anytime soon. Many cite stress, burnout, or lack of support as reasons to avoid the promotion.
So, what can we take away from these findings?
1. Managers Are the Heartbeat of Every Organization
Managers aren’t just coaches or taskmasters. They are the essential conduit between leadership and the front lines—translating strategy into execution while carrying feedback back up the chain.
At the macro level, managers deliver vision down and surface insights up, keeping companies aligned and agile. At the micro level, great managers:
Know their people: Understanding each individual’s style, motivations, and needs.
Communicate constantly: So team members always know where they stand.
Challenge and develop: Pushing people to grow, take on new challenges, and build capacity by delegating.
In short, managers are the literal heartbeat of the organization. Without them, nothing flows.
2. Not Everyone Wants to Manage—and That’s Okay
The reality is that some people simply don’t want to lead teams. That doesn’t make them less valuable.
At my former company, gap intelligence, we built two career paths:
Managers: Analysts who thrived on leading and developing others.
Fellows: Superstar individual contributors who excelled in their craft but had no interest in managing people.
Both paths created value. Both were celebrated. And both were essential to growth. Organizations must recognize that leadership isn’t one-size-fits-all—and build systems that allow people to thrive in the role best suited to their strengths.
3. The Real Problem: Lack of Training
Too many managers fail not because they lack potential, but because they lack training. Organizations often promote their best individual contributors into management roles, hand them a large team, and expect results. That’s not leadership—it’s a recipe for failure.
Practical steps can help:
Start managers with just one direct report and grow gradually.
Avoid overloading—Google’s own research suggests managers struggle when they exceed five direct reports.
Invest in real training—frameworks, coaching, and resources that prepare managers for the job.
Great starting points include the Manager Tools podcast (gold standard for day-to-day management), the works of Patrick Lencioni, and Helping People Win at Work by Gary Ridge, former CEO of WD-40. And, of course, this is exactly why we built the Esteemed MBA School of Leadership & Management—to close the gap with practical, actionable training.
The Bottom Line
The numbers haven’t changed much over the past decade: managers remain the single most important factor in employee engagement, retention, and organizational success. Compensation, perks, and flexibility matter—but none outweigh the impact of a great manager.
If managers are the heartbeat of your company, make sure they’re strong, supported, and never overwhelmed. Because in the end, people don’t leave companies. They leave managers.
