Why Businesses Can’t Afford Bad Managers in 2025: The Case for Developing People Leaders

Photo Courtesy of LinkedIn Market Research

Sixty nine percent of the U.S. population says they would quit their job because of a bad manager. 

This numbers rises to 77% for millennials, tellings us that the younger generation of workers is willing to say goodbye to their jobs due to a toxic work environment. What does this mean for business owners in 2025? 

Having strategic, emotionally intelligent leaders with boundaries, and effective communication skills is more important now than ever. One of the main challenges I notice, As a Human Resources consultant for small to medium sized businesses, start-ups and charter schools, is underdeveloped managers.

If the managers in your company seem to always have an excuse for their team’s negative behavior, inability to meet goals, and/or overall poor performance, the managers themselves may be the number one contributor to the problems. Managers who are unable to communicate goals and expectations clearly, fail to uphold department and business standards, or treat their team members more like friends than colleagues can cause serious problems now and in the future for your business. 

But before you resolve that this is a them (the managers) problem and not a you (the business owner) problem, listen to this. It’s not entirely the managers’ fault that they lack skills in this area. More often than not, people managers are not trained in these areas and therefore never get a chance to properly develop the people management skills they need to help them and the business remain successful. 

The manager is usually someone who is really great at the content of their job, who has proven themselves as a leader in the work, and has been promoted into a role where their job now includes managing a team. Well, the problem you’ll find here is that being a leader in the work does not always include being a leader of people and what you need to build and maintain your business is great people leaders.

By this point, you may be asking - What?! You mean I’ve got managers who can’t lead, and they could be the reason I can’t get and keep employees? How can I fix this?

You can train them now. 

Key Areas of Training

Emotional Intelligence-helping managers build self-awareness, empathy, and interpersonal skills.

Decision Making- developing critical thinking and making data-driven and ethical decisions. 

Conflict Resolution-managing conflict amongst team members quickly and effectively. 

If you start here with developing your leaders, you’ll find that the day-to-day operations of your business will improve and a business that improves operations also improves profits.