Because the bill comes later, and it is bigger. “They’ll figure it out” saves a few hours of support today. It costs you turnover, rework, and managers who default to control tomorrow.
Most leaders who say it mean well. They trust their people, and they are slammed. I get it. Here is why trust alone is not enough.
What does “they’ll figure it out” cost?
A slow ramp-up. A new manager learning by trial and error is learning on your team, in front of your customers.
Good people leaving. Gallup found managers account for at least 70% of the variance in engagement scores. A manager left to improvise is a big swing factor in whether people stay.
Rework. When expectations are fuzzy, the same conversations happen again and again.
Leaders who copy what they have seen. Without a better model, new managers repeat the habits of whoever managed them.
None of it shows up as a line item called “we did not support our leaders.” It shows up as a resignation, a missed target, or a team that has gone quiet.
Why does this happen so often in fast-growing companies?
Growth moves faster than support. You add headcount, promote your strongest people into management, and everyone is busy delivering. Nobody has the time or a system for developing leaders, so the plan becomes hope.
I was one of those promotions. I was a high-performing individual contributor, and I was promoted to manager with zero management training. Spoiler: I did not figure it out. At least not before a team member cried and walked out of a staff meeting.
The skills that earn the promotion are not the ones the new job needs. That gap is where good people get hurt. (If you missed last week’s post on what burnout costs, the story is there.)
What about accountability?
“They’ll figure it out” often hides a second problem: nobody is holding anyone to anything. Support without expectations drifts. Expectations without support burn people out.
Good leadership development does both. It gives a leader a clear picture of the job, agreed in plain terms, and someone in their corner while they learn it. People can meet a standard once they have been equipped to meet it.
Where should you start?
Name who is new to leading, or about to be. Do it this week.
Give each of them a thinking partner: a coach, a mentor, or a peer.
Agree on what the job is and how you will know it is going well. Put it in writing.
Then check in on a schedule, and ask the team how it feels, not just the manager.
Reflect
Where in your company are you counting on people to figure it out? What would it cost if they did not?
Try this
Pick one new or soon-to-be manager. Offer them one genuine conversation this week, with no agenda. Notice what shifts when you slow down enough to connect.
Frequently asked questions
Is leadership development worth the investment?
The cost of skipping it is real, even if it is harder to see. It appears as turnover, rework, and slow-moving teams. A small investment early is cheaper than losing the people your new manager was promoted to lead.
When should a company start supporting new managers?
Before the promotion if you can, and no later than the first week. The first 90 days set the habits.
How do you measure the return on coaching?
Look at the things that move first: how often one-on-ones happen, what the team says about their manager, how long a new manager takes to feel productive, and who is leaving and why.
If your company is growing and you want your leaders supported before it gets expensive, let’s talk about how Burn Bright can come alongside you.
Tania Zeigler is the Founder and CEO of Burn Bright Coaching & Consulting. She works with leaders and leadership teams to build the habits that make results possible.
Source: Gallup, “Managers Account for 70% of Variance in Employee Engagement,” State of the American Manager, 2015. news.gallup.com/businessjournal/182792/managers-account-variance-employee-engagement.aspx