The Manager Factor | Mind The Gap Report
- Scott McInnes
- Sep 11
- 3 min read
“People leave managers, not companies.” Marcus Buckingham
Why It Matters

If leaders set the tone for culture, managers carry it through the organisation – you could think of them as Chief Sense Makers! Whether frontline supervisors or middle management, these managers have a direct influence on employees’ daily experience. One CPO noted, and research strongly backs this up:
"“Culture is lived in the interactions between managers and their teams.”
Great managers act as multipliers of culture – they communicate values, coach employees, recognise good behaviour and address problems. Poor managers, by contrast, can become cultural bottlenecks and have the potential to act as a catalyst for your culture to go backwards.
When managers effectively coach and engage their teams, companies see higher productivity, retention, and even profitability. When they don’t, even the strongest corporate values can devolve into empty slogans.
The Challenge

During the interviews, several CPOs noted that managerial avoidance is a real problem. One participant observed that many managers shy away from tough conversations about performance or behaviour.
"Managers are less likely to engage in what might be considered a difficult conversation about performance, why someone didn’t get promoted or poor behaviour. Psychological safety is being weaponised and there is a low resilience to receiving constructive feedback"
Another theme was inconsistency. One HR leader described an ongoing challenge where “some [managers] will have those tough conversations and some won’t, and that creates a level of inconsistency in how culture is experienced”.
Consistency, however, doesn’t mean every manager has to be a clone, but core expectations (like treating people with respect, or addressing performance issues timely) should be universally upheld.
CPOs also pointed out that many managers never received adequate training for their role as cultural stewards. Often, high-performing individual contributors are promoted into management without much support.
We need to upskill leaders in areas like critical thinking and agility, but the market hasn’t moved to work out what that looks like”. This suggests that traditional management training might not be equipping managers for modern challenges – such as leading hybrid teams or managing across generations.
A particularly striking comment from one CPO was: “All too often we hear ‘I’m not a people manager’ – when that’s exactly what they are”.
Practical Steps For Change

1. Set clear expectations for managers;
Organisations should explicitly define the role of managers in fostering culture and driving engagement. Make it clear that ‘managing people is the core job’, not an afterthought.
2. Provide training and tools;
Set managers up for success by equipping them with practical training and the tools to be successful – not as a one-off but on an ongoing basis.
3. Mentor and support new managers;
Frontline supervisors, in particular, benefit from extra support. Pair new managers with seasoned manager mentors, create manager peer forums for sharing challenges, and ensure HR business partners check in with managers regularly.
4. Reinforce and recognise good habits;
What gets rewarded gets repeated so get into a habit of holding up those managers who exemplify great people leadership.
By strengthening the quality of managers, CPOs can create a powerful ripple effect. Engaged, well-equipped managers create engaged teams – and engaged teams produce better business outcomes.
It’s worth remembering that employees will build the culture with you if their managers lead the way.
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