By Jonathan H. Westover, PhD
Abstract: This article discusses the need for formal leadership training programs for new managers. While technical skills may earn promotions, leading others requires people skills that do not come naturally. The realities of management, like navigating team dynamics and providing feedback, demand skills rarely considered for promotions. As a result, many struggle without preparation. One-size-fits-all workshops are insufficient for building lasting abilities. Instead, custom programs at companies like Google and Penn Medicine, which feature mentoring, coaching and contextual scenarios integrated into work, better prepare new leaders. When managers are unsupported, job and company performance suffer. To fully develop managers, holistic, long-term programs better than ad hoc training are needed. Benchmark initiatives show intensive, tailored cultivation yields more confident, effective leaders within contexts for ultimate organizational success.
As a leadership consultant and researcher, one issue I consistently encounter is the lack of formal training provided to new people managers within organizations. Time and time again, I see talented individuals promoted into roles with little to no preparation for the realities of leading others. While their technical skills may have earned them the new title, the soft skills required to effectively lead a team are rarely a consideration for promotion. It comes as no surprise then that many struggle in their expanded roles, often hindering both individual and organizational performance.
This widespread phenomenon highlights a crucial gap that continues to undermine leadership efforts across industries. The reality is that managing people is a distinct skill that must be intentionally developed, yet most are still left to learn through trial and error on the job. As someone passionate about enabling leaders to have maximum positive impact, it is concerning to see how many are set up for challenges from the very start due to this lack of preparation. Through both my consulting work and academic research, I have gained important insights into why formalized leadership training cannot be overlooked and is critical for long-term success.
Today we will unpack the reasons why faking your way through management simply does not work and how organizations can take meaningful action to enhance the capabilities of their people managers.
The complex realities of leading others
While an individual's technical expertise may have earned them a promotion, people skills represent an entirely different domain that does not come naturally to all. The day-to-day realities of being a manager involve much more than just task allocation, as John Zenger and Joseph Folkman explain in their research on leadership essentials (2002). Leading others successfully requires comprehending both the visible and invisible drivers of human behavior, navigating team dynamics, providing meaningful feedback, coaching for growth, and more. It demands emotional intelligence, strong communication, and the ability to motivate different personalities - skills that few train for and even fewer innately possess without development (Goleman, 1995).
When thrust into people-focused roles without adequate preparation, it is unrealistic to expect new managers to suddenly understand these complex human factors overnight through osmosis alone. Yet countless are left to find their way through trial and error, leading to unnecessary frustration for both themselves and their reports. Research indicates over 40% of new managers report feeling insecure in their abilities and unequipped for the social challenges of their position (Mishra, Boynton & Mishra, 2014). Without formalizing leadership training as a standard part of the transition, organizations essentially set their people managers up to struggle as they discover these realities through painful experiences rather than intentional development.
The performance penalties of faking it
When left to their own devices without training, it is no surprise many new managers attempt to fake their way through the social aspects of the role despite their technical skills. However, research clearly indicates this approach ultimately undermines performance at both the individual and team levels. In a study of over 150 mid-level managers, Srinivas Kandula found direct links between a leader's confidence in their abilities and individual effectiveness factors like decision-making, work engagement and stress levels (2006). Those who felt unequipped performed demonstrably worse than peers who received leadership preparation.
At the team level, the penalties are also significant. Faking social skills erodes employee satisfaction, motivation and retention over time (Toegel & Conger, 2003; Kim & Locke, 2002). When managers lack emotional intelligence or the ability to effectively give feedback and coach growth, their reports pick up on the insecurity and it damages relationships critical to work accomplishments. Productivity, innovation and results all suffer as a result, costing organizations valuable resources.
Rather than leaving leadership learning to chance encounters, formal training provides new managers with realistic skills preemptively. It gives them the confidence and emotional intelligence required from day one, avoiding unnecessary struggles and performance losses for all parties. In an increasingly knowledge-driven economy, organizations cannot afford such self-inflicted wounds to their human capital for the sake of convenience in leadership development.
Custom development delivers longevity
While many recognize the need to better prepare new managers, most efforts still offer "one-size-fits-all" training programs lacking target and context. As someone who has evaluated countless such initiatives, I have seen their limitations first-hand (Popper & Mayseless, 2007). Generic multi-day workshops disconnected from on-the-job application rarely transfer to sustained behavior changes. At best, they provide an informative lecture, but new skills do not stick without targeted practice, coaching, and longitudinal development tailored to individual needs.
To truly enable leaders for long-term success, training must go beyond isolated events to embed customized support structures within an organization's culture (Nina Waisberg Consulting, 2020). New managers should work one-on-one with seasoned coaches who understand their teams, strengths to leverage, and growth areas to prioritize based on feedback. They require ongoing access to resources, peer forums for sharing challenges, and accountability check-ins as they hone their leadership muscles on real-world assignments over months rather than days. International healthcare provider Intermountain pioneered such an approach through customized leadership curricula paired with dedicated mentors, resulting in 90% of trainees feeling fully prepared for their roles within a year (Grensing-Pophal, 2017).
When development moves from brief trainings to holistic programs integrated within daily work, skills stick through lived experiences versus temporary exposures. Leaders gain lasting confidence managing social dynamics tailored to their contexts rather than generic best practices. Organizations also profit through measurably happier, higher performing teams able to accomplish more each day (McKinsey & Co., 2008). In an era where the competition for talent is fiercer than ever, such intentional investment in human capital creates a powerful competitive advantage few can match.
Industry examples: Tech and healthcare leading the way
Encouragingly, some sectors have already recognized the positive impacts of formalized, customized leadership cultivation programs and established industry-leading initiatives as a result. In technology, companies like Google and Intuit have instituted multi-month rotational mentorship tracks and ongoing coaching to ensure new managers bond theory with practice (Meyers, 2019; Intuit, 2020). By integrating development seamlessly into work, leaders gain invaluable experience adjusting immediately applicable skills according to individual contexts, strengths and challenges. Over half of Google managers report feeling fully prepared after only six months, compared to a year or more elsewhere (Harter, 2020).
The healthcare arena also showcases some of the most robust programs designed specifically for their operational realities. At Penn Medicine, clinicians earn dual leadership certificates through intensive case-based curricula focused on navigating team relations and change management within their clinical workflows (Penn Medicine, 2020). Likewise, Cleveland Clinic acculturates new managers through customized 360-degree evaluations and long-term cohort-based “learning communities” supported by mentors experienced in their divisions (Cleveland Clinic, 2019).
When leadership development mirrors participants' daily environments, it resonates deeply and lasts. By incorporating tailored support structures, goal setting, contextualized scenarios and ongoing coaching, these exemplar initiatives move preparation far beyond short-lived events. Leaders bond theory with muscle memory of handling common field-specific issues, gaining the confidence and relationships critical for peak performance in their industry-tailored roles.
Call to action: Make leadership development intentional
In summary, promoting technical talent into management inevitably places many in over their head without adequate preparation for social dynamics. Faking it damages productivity, job satisfaction and ultimately the bottom line. Organizations simply can no longer afford overlooking targeted leadership development as standard practice for new people managers. While challenging initially, creating customized, ongoing cultivation programs represents a relatively low investment yielding powerful returns through more engaged, higher performing teams.
Through initiatives mirroring the realities of industries like technology and healthcare, exemplar companies establish transformative cultures where new managers gain tangible mastery within their contexts. Organizations would be wise to follow suit through holistic, continuous development integrated into standard workflow rather than occasional workshops. By committing to these leaders' long-term growth rather than one-off exposure, they guarantee impactful ROI through confident, skilled people managers prepared to achieve outstanding results from day one. Most importantly, they create fairer conditions where all can reach their leadership potential through intentional, sustained support rather than rolling the dice. Our businesses and communities benefit greatly when individuals are set up for success through investment in their ongoing development.
As someone passionate about enabling leaders to maximize their positive impacts, I will continue advocating for the comprehensive preparation all deserve despite their roles. Formal leadership cultivation must become standard practice across sectors if organizations genuinely aim to unleash individual excellence and consistent high performance. The choice is clear - intentional, targeted development yields engaged teams accomplishing great things, while winging it through critical supervisory transitions will only continue undermining their efforts. Our workplaces and industries will thrive when we commit to growing people holistically alongside technical skills. The case is simply too compelling to ignore; the time for change is now.
References
Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional intelligence. Bantam Books.
Kim, H., & Locke, E. A. (2002). Leadership skills: How and when do they matter?. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2002(1), D1-D6. https://doi.org/10.5465/APBPP.2002.7517289
Kandula, S. R. (2006). A Study of the Influence of Managers' Style of Leadership on Employee Job Satisfaction. Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (304902029).
McKinsey & Company. (2008). Building the organization of the future. McKinsey Quarterly, 4, 60-73. https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/mckinsey/business%20functions/organization/our%20insights/building%20the%20organization%20of%20the%20future/building%20the%20organization%20of%20the%20future.pdf
Mishra, K., Boynton, L., & Mishra, A. (2014). Driving employee engagement: The expanded role of internal communications. International Journal of Business Communication, 51(2), 183-202. https://doi.org/10.1177/2329488414525399
Nina Waisberg Consulting. (2020, January 7). A culture of continuous leadership development. https://www.ninawaisberg.com/culture-of-continuous-leadership-development/
Popper, M., & Mayseless, O. (2007). The building blocks of leader development: A psychological conceptual framework. Leadership & Organization Development Journal. https://doi.org/10.1108/01437730710739290
Toegel, G., & Conger, J. A. (2003). 360-degree assessment: Time for reinvention. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 2(3), 297-311. https://doi.org/10.5465/amle.2003.10932122
Zenger, J., & Folkman, J. (2002). The extraordinary leader: Turning good managers into great leaders (Vol. 53). McGraw-Hill.
Jonathan H. Westover, PhD is Chief Academic & Learning Officer (HCI Academy); Chair/Professor, Organizational Leadership (UVU); OD Consultant (Human Capital Innovations). Read Jonathan Westover's executive profile here.
Suggested Citation: Westover, J. H. (2024). Why You Can't Fake It: The Need for Intentional Leadership Development in Organizations. Human Capital Leadership Review, 11(2). doi.org/10.70175/hclreview.2020.11.2.11
