The Accidental Manager Epidemic
Most managers today didn't exactly volunteer—they drifted or were pushed into the role without any real preparation.
The impact? Stress levels go through the roof. Why? Because suddenly, instead of just managing tasks, you're expected to manage people. And guess what: People are complicated. It's no wonder over 50% of managers feel unprepared or ill-equipped to lead. They're stressed, overwhelmed, and second-guessing every decision. That pressure cascades directly down to their teams, triggering frustration, disengagement, and turnover. Your Company is Paying the Price Organizations with accidental managers aren’t just losing productivity—they’re losing their best talent.
Gallup found that 70% of the variance in employee engagement comes down to the manager. In short, bad management is expensive. If that doesn’t make you uncomfortable, this might: your company’s reputation as an employer—your ability to attract and keep top talent—is being shaped by people who never wanted the job in the first place.
Why Does This Keep Happening? Because we still treat management as a reward rather than a responsibility. Companies are too quick to promote based on past performance instead of potential to lead. Being great at a job doesn't mean you're equipped to lead others doing it. The Question You Need to Ask If you want to fix this, start here: "Do your managers actually want to lead—or are they doing it because there was nowhere else to go?" When you answer this honestly, you’ll realize where the gaps really are. Then you can start providing intentional support, clear training, and meaningful development—turning your accidental managers into intentional leaders.
It matters right now because your organization's future depends on it.
Ready to face it?
Find out about how best to promote the best people for the role by touching base with me at michael@workinsights.io.
Who Put You in Charge Anyway?
Seriously—how did you become a manager?
Let me guess: you were really good at something, maybe sales, coding, or crunching numbers, and one day, someone tapped you on the shoulder and said, "Congrats, you're a manager now."
But did you ever actually want to manage people, or did you just go along because it was the next logical step? You're not alone.
Gallup research shows only 10% of people naturally possess the talent needed to manage effectively. Yet businesses keep promoting top performers into management roles as if it's a guaranteed recipe for success.
Spoiler alert: it's not.