Stop Promoting the Wrong People into Manager Roles

For the past couple of years, Gartner research has suggested that organizations have a management problem. For example, in an April 2024 Gartner survey of 162 HR leaders, only 35% and 27% reported being satisfied with the effectiveness of mid-level and frontline managers, respectively. Employees aren’t impressed either: A July 2024 Gartner survey of 3,529 employees found that only 38% reported satisfaction with the quality of their manager, and just over half reported that they trust their manager. When managers don’t deliver, the costs can add up, often manifesting as a drag on productivity, performance, and morale. Not only that, it puts the retention of valuable team members at risk—especially perilous in today’s environment of critical skills shortages and hiring freezes. HR leaders have been taking notice. In a July 2025 Gartner survey of 900 HR leaders, nearly 80% acknowledged that managers are overwhelmed by the expanding scope of their responsibilities—a trend that’s likely to continue alongside rapid technological transformation. However, we’re seeing that the problem increasingly lies with managers who find themselves reluctantly filling the role. A May 2025 Gartner survey of 3,000 employees found that one in four managers would prefer not to be people managers, up from one in five just two years ago. Why the reluctance? Many of these managers found themselves in the role without knowing much about it beforehand, with less than a third reporting exposure to simulations, mentorship, or opportunities to gauge whether they were suited to becoming a manager. Additionally, most management-selection processes look backward rather than forward: In a March 2023 Gartner survey of 98 HR leaders, 79% reported that consistently high individual performance is a top factor for management selection, while only 22% prioritize high scores on pre-management selection assessments. When a manager doesn’t actually want to be a manager, they lack authentic commitment to and engagement in the role. This can spell the difference between success and failure: Analysis from a May 2024 Gartner survey of 985 senior leaders and mid-level managers found that highly engaged managers are nearly four times more likely to be high enterprise contributors, more than twice as likely to have high intent to stay, and three times more likely to exhibit high discretionary effort compared to their less-engaged counterparts. HR leaders know that their current approach isn’t working. In a July 2025 Gartner survey of 114 HR leaders, just 16% said their organization’s manager-selection process ensures the right people work in people manager roles. To increase that number, HR leaders need to both prevent the installation of reluctant managers and mitigate the impact of those already in the role. Preventing the Installation of Reluctant Managers Recall the statistic that one in four managers would prefer not to be people managers. HR needs to identify that population before they’re selected for management roles so that management is an active choice, not a passive experience. One way to prevent reluctant managers is to show candidates the most challenging aspects of the management job before they enter it. This serves two purposes. First, it prepares new-to-role managers for the realities of the job, demystifying it and exposing the increased weight, complexity, and intensity of work. Second, it helps potential managers make an informed decision on whether to continue with the management-selection process. HR can create this exposure through simulations and experience with the more opaque and challenging activities of management, including workload prioritization decisions, difficult performance and engagement conversations, and performance calibration sessions. They can take this a step farther by matching interested candidates with relatively new managers for candid conversations and mentorship throughout the manager-selection process—something that only 26% of managers reported experiencing before taking the role, according to a June 2025 Gartner survey of 3,002 employees. It’s also important that managerial candidates be provided with non-punitive, non-permanent off-ramp opportunities during the selection process. This makes it possible for self-aware candidates to opt out of managerial roles and instead consider roles that are the right fit for their current aspirations, skills, and preferences with less pressure (real or perceived). This decreases the odds that those who end up in management roles will become reluctant managers. Mitigating the Effects of In-Role Reluctant Managers Not all forms of reluctance are equal. Once reluctant managers have been identified, HR leaders need to determine the nature of that reluctance. Is it entrenched or addressable? Can the manager’s mind be changed, or is a change of manager needed? Some forms of reluctance are more unyielding, while others can be dislodged through targeted behavioral exercises or interventions. Observing where and how suspected reluctant managers are struggling helps establish whether their reluctance is caused by deep-rooted factors, such as a true dislike of the role or disinterest in the necessary work, or more surmountable sources, such as a lack of confidence or a feeling of overwhelm in the role. HR and management-selection teams should probe into the root cause of reluctance to assess whether it’s entrenched or addressable. The table below is a quick reference for assessing the root of a manager candidate’s reluctance. Assessing Manager Reluctance Is the manager’s reluctance driven by deep-rooted factors or more-surmountable ones? Signs of addressable reluctance Signs of entrenched reluctance Overwhelmed by the amount of work Overwhelmed by the type of work Frustrated with temporary challenges Frustrated with challenges inherent to the role Confident in their ability to perform certain critical tasks Strongly dislikes performing certain critical tasks Averse to certain activities because they find them dull Averse to certain activities because they find them prohibitively uncomfortable Source: Colleen Adler Entrenched reluctance When reluctance is deeply rooted, interventions are less likely to have the intended impact, and the focus should turn to the best ways to off-ramp reluctant managers. When possible, HR should connect managers who demonstrate entrenched reluctance to talent acquisition professionals with the goal of identifying internal roles that might be a better fit. If unsuccessful, it may be necessary to consider separating the employee. Addressable reluctance Two key, addressable sources of reluctance are a lack of confidence and feeling overwhelmed by the role. When a lack of confidence in the role is driving manager reluctance, leaders should identify management-adjacent skills that the reluctant manager uses in their personal lives that can be transferred to how they manage at work to build their confidence for the job. For example, lessons can be applied from volunteer activities that require collaborating with challenging personalities, or difficult conversations with an aging parent about caregiving assistance. To address the mental load of management, HR can teach habit-building practices that drive behavior change and decrease the cognitive load of management and perceived difficulty of tasks. Habit-building programs that rely on habit loops develop one habit at a time while requiring a limited time commitment, making them appealing to and achievable for overwhelmed managers. Habits that teach managers to use techniques like scheduled email blocks, the two-minute rule for completing quick tasks, or even turning off email notifications can decrease interruptions and make the job feel more manageable. As the habit becomes established, managers can develop natural cues that prompt them to perform the habit. As a task becomes a habit, it reduces the mental load of the task and can reduce feelings of overwhelm. . . . We know that good managers make good teams. By proactively identifying and addressing the presence of reluctant managers, HR leaders have a pivotal opportunity to significantly improve leaders’ confidence in the management corps, as well as employee satisfaction and performance.

Stop Promoting the Wrong People into Manager Roles

Summary.

Partner Center