Today’s managers are expected to be strategic leaders, culture carriers, and drivers of business transformation.
As we look ahead to 2025, HR leaders are zeroing in on three key priorities that will shape the future of work:
- Elevating HR’s impact on the organization’s growth strategy
- Building a deep bench of change leaders
- Creating a future-ready workforce
None of these priorities can be achieved without strong, well-equipped managers. They’re not just supporting players — they’re the linchpins holding organizational success together.
But here’s the problem: while expectations of managers have risen, the support they receive hasn’t kept pace. Many are struggling under the weight of increased responsibilities, larger teams, and the need to lead through constant change. If HR wants to drive meaningful business impact, ensuring managers have the tools, time, and training they need isn’t optional — it’s a necessity.
In a recent webinar featuring industry experts Gianna Driver (former CPO at Lattice, Exabeam, and BlueVine), Jeff Diana (former CPO at Calendly, Atlassian, and SuccessFactors), Scott McGillivray (VP of Total Rewards & HR Operations, Docebo), and Rea Rotholz (Senior Director of Learning Solutions, Hone), we explored what HR and L&D leaders can do to equip managers with the skills they need for today’s demands.
Buckle up — this conversation was packed with actionable insights you don’t want to miss.
The disconnect: why managers aren’t thriving
Many managers struggle to prioritize their own growth and development, often pushing it aside in favor of immediate business needs. As Gianna Driver put it:
My experience has shown that a lot of times managers are not prioritizing their own growth and development, right? It’s, ‘Oh, it’s quarter end, it’s year end. There’s this new release. There’s some other reason why I’m unable to read this thing, attend this session, travel to this place.’
Even when learning opportunities are available, managers frequently deprioritize them over their busy work schedules, leaving a critical gap in leadership capability — one that compounds over time as they are continually asked to take on more without the necessary manager development.
The research is pretty clear: managers are at the heart of many of HR’s biggest business challenges, but they’re also feeling completely overwhelmed.
HR teams invest in manager development, yet the number one reason employees still quit is their manager. Managers are drowning in responsibilities, navigating increased workloads, and struggling to keep up with the pace of change.
Almost 75% of HR leaders report that their managers are stretched too thin. On top of that, 72% admit that managers aren’t equipped to handle change effectively. And as organizations scale, the burden is growing — 35% of managers now oversee more direct reports than before, and nearly half say their responsibilities are more complex than ever.
The reality is that while managers are expected to be the key to organizational success, they’re often left without the support, training, and resources needed to succeed. And that misalignment is costing businesses dearly.
So, how do we fix it?
Despite many organizations claiming to prioritize manager development, the actual investment tells a different story. Jeff Diana didn’t mince words:
We talk about how much we invest in managers — I’m going to call BS on that to a large degree. If you look at it as a P&L line item and you sat down with your CFO and you ranked investment priorities, the amount of money we spend on manager development doesn’t even register on the scale.
This disconnect highlights a fundamental issue: companies say managers are critical, yet their budgets don’t reflect it. If organizations truly want to see managers succeed, they must start treating manager development as a strategic investment, not an afterthought.
The good news? Research consistently shows that investing in managers is one of the most impactful things HR can do to drive business growth.
- Companies with strong middle managers outperform their competitors financially.
- Transformations are 5.3x more likely to succeed when leaders actively model the behaviors they want to see across the organization.
Despite the mounting pressure managers face, they remain one of the most powerful levers for making business transformations work. But success won’t happen by accident — it requires a dedicated strategy to ensure managers have the time, tools, and training to thrive.
1. Make learning part of the job, not a “nice-to-have”
Managers need dedicated time for learning, not just an expectation to fit it in between other responsibilities. Organizations should explicitly schedule learning time into a manager’s workweek and reinforce the message that manager development is as critical as any other business task. Publicly sharing learning journeys — such as executives discussing their own professional development — can help reinforce a culture that values continuous growth.
Additionally, HR teams should create structured learning pathways that align with business goals and career progression. By embedding learning expectations into performance evaluations, organizations can ensure managers prioritize their development. Companies should also explore peer learning models where managers can engage in discussions, share experiences, and learn from one another in real-time.
2. Close the support gap for managers
One of the biggest challenges managers face is that they’re often rewarded for great work with even more work. Scott McGillivray described this all-too-common issue:
We reward great work with more work. That seems to be our model within the industry. So, I think the secret sauce or one of the things to really help managers is push them in the direction of prioritization and stakeholder management — because if you can get that across all levels of management, you can get laser focused on what matters most for the business.
Rather than continuously adding to their workload, companies need to equip managers with the skills to prioritize effectively. Without this shift, managers will remain overburdened, and the cycle of burnout will persist.
3. Use AI to reduce workload and free up manager development time
AI-driven tools can help streamline tasks, automate administrative work, and provide managers with personalized learning recommendations, reducing the burden of self-directed development. AI can also enable real-time feedback and coaching, offering managers immediate, actionable insights to improve their leadership effectiveness. By integrating AI into learning and performance management systems, organizations can make manager development more accessible and efficient.
Beyond just automation, AI can help managers identify skill gaps in their teams and suggest targeted interventions. HR leaders should integrate AI-driven analytics to provide deeper insights into team performance, engagement levels, and areas where additional support is needed. When used strategically, AI can create more personalized and effective manager development experiences.
4. Reward learning like you reward performance
A major barrier to effective manager development is the perception that learning is separate from day-to-day work. Rea Rotholz highlighted this issue:
A lot of companies view learning and individuals view learning as separate from their job. It’s like, ‘I have to stop doing my work so I can go to this training class,’ and they don’t see it as a really crucial part to continuing to grow and develop. If you don’t grow and develop today, you’re going to be left behind as an individual and as a company.
For manager development to be taken seriously, organizations need to track and reward learning efforts. Some companies tie manager development to performance incentives, ensuring that time spent learning contributes directly to career advancement. Others implement structured growth pathways where training completion unlocks promotion eligibility. Embedding learning into formal career progression frameworks reinforces its importance at every level.
HR and L&D leaders should consider linking manager development efforts to tangible business outcomes, such as improved retention, engagement, and performance metrics. By demonstrating the ROI of leadership training, organizations can secure greater buy-in from executives and ensure learning remains a key business priority.
The future of manager development: Less talk, more action
HR and L&D leaders have an opportunity — and an obligation — to rethink how they support managers. This means shifting from surface-level training programs to deeply integrating manager development into the company culture and business strategy.
So, ask yourself: Are managers given the time, tools, and incentives to grow? Or are they left to figure it out on their own? Because hope isn’t a strategy — but real investment in manager development is.
Want to dive deeper? Watch the full on-demand webinar to hear more insights from our expert panel on how to empower managers for success.
Curious about how Hone can help transform your manager development strategy? Learn more about our manager training programs below.
