Why first-time managers are failing (and what to do about it)

Sixty per cent of first-time managers fail within their first two years, according to research by Gartner. Not because they don’t care. Not because they aren’t capable. But because they are set up to fail.

They are promoted as high achievers, handed the keys to the car, and told to drive without ever being shown how. If they are lucky, they’re sent to a one-off leadership course that gives them the basics. But the basics don’t hold up in the pressure cooker of real leadership.

And here is the hidden cost:

•  The manager, once confident, now feels out of their depth.
•  Their team senses the wobble and starts losing faith.
•  Performance stalls. People check out. Turnover rises.

The high performer who should have been a rising star is suddenly doubting themselves, dreading each day, and wondering if they even want the role.

I have been there. At 23, I was promoted with little more than ambition and technical skills. I thought leadership was about effort and answers. What I learned the hard way is that leadership is not about pushing harder. It is about creating the conditions where people can perform at their best. In other words, it is about flow.

Flow is that state where challenge and skill meet. Where confidence builds through doing. Where people leave work energised rather than depleted. For first-time managers, the transition is about building the inner capacity to move from control to clarity, from busyness to purpose, from being the star performer to creating a stage for others to shine.

From my experience coaching new leaders, here are the three barriers that make or break this shift.

1. From “I” to “We”

Most first-time managers are promoted because they were excellent individual contributors. Their value was tied to technical expertise, deadlines, and personal output.

But leadership is not about being the expert anymore. It is about enabling others.

This shift requires a huge mindset change. It means letting go of ego, building selfawareness, and recognising when you are stepping in out of habit instead of stepping back to empower the team.

When I was first promoted, I thought my job was to keep being the highest performer, just with a manager title. Instead of building others up, I over-delivered myself. It was not sustainable, and my team suffered.

What leaders of first-time managers can do
Stop thinking of this as more training. This shift is about development, building greater complexity of thinking, learning to reflect, and committing to inner growth. That does not come from a workbook. It comes from looking in the mirror. Pair your new managers with a coach who can help them do the inner work. The ROI is obvious. A leader who grows into “we” thinking will multiply the impact of their team.

2. From the dance floor to the balcony

This comes from adaptive leadership. New managers often stay on the dance floor, caught in the tasks, the detail, the movement. They measure their worth by output. But leadership requires perspective. It is about stepping onto the balcony, seeing patterns, and creating clarity so the team can dance in rhythm without you directing every step. One client I worked with was exhausted, taking on tasks to “help.” She thought her team admired her for it. In reality, they felt disempowered and unclear about their responsibilities. She was dancing harder than anyone, but nobody else knew the choreography. When she shifted her focus, she stopped being the busiest person in the room and started being the clearest. That is when her team found their rhythm and their flow.

What leaders of first-time managers can do
Stop rewarding busyness. Start rewarding perspective. When your new managers are clinging to tasks, challenge them to step back. Ask: What is the bigger picture you see? What patterns can you name for your team? Flow is not found in frantic activity. It is found in clarity.

3. From activity to purpose

The third barrier is moving from a focus on activity to a focus on purpose.

New managers get caught in task lists and activity levels. But leadership is about helping people see why their work matters, setting expectations, and aligning the team toward something bigger

This is not fluffy. It is deeply practical. When people understand the purpose behind their work, they make better decisions, act with autonomy, and stay motivated when things get tough.

One manager I coached started every meeting by telling the story of the team’s purpose. Over time, her team began making decisions aligned with that story, even when she was not in the room. That is the power of purpose. It creates flow by connecting effort to meaning.

What leaders of first-time managers can do
Support your managers to articulate the “why” behind the work. Create space for them to practise telling that story, and give feedback on how clearly it lands. Reward managers for the strength of their team’s alignment, not just their own output.

Why training is not enough

Many organisations rely on training to prepare first-time managers. But training alone does not create leaders.

Here is why: 

•  Training is an information dump. It fills heads with knowledge but does not create behaviour change. 
•  It is one-size-fits-all. It ignores the context and individuality of each leader. 
•  It skips the inner game. Confidence, mindset, and resilience are not developed in a classroom. 
•  It rarely provides real-time practice. And leadership happens in the moments that matter, not in hypothetical scenarios.

Take Sam, a client of mine who had already been through two leadership programs before coming to coaching. She said they were “good,” but when the pressure was on, they did not help with the limiting beliefs holding her back.

When her role was extended and the pressure mounted, she crumbled. The stress followed her home. Even her kids told her they did not want her doing the job anymore because she was not herself.

Through coaching, she built confidence brick by brick. She learned how to lead in a way that felt authentic, handle the hard conversations, and create a team culture that worked. She went from counting down the weeks until her role ended to wondering if she wanted it permanently. That is the difference between knowing about leadership and becoming a leader.

The ROI of coaching for first-time managers

When first-time managers fail, the costs are enormous. Disengaged teams. High turnover. Stalled projects. Burnt-out individuals.

When they succeed, the ripple effect is equally enormous. Stronger performance. More engaged employees. Leaders who stay and grow with the organisation.

That is why coaching pays for itself. Training fills heads. Coaching changes leaders. Coaching creates flow.

How to take action

If you are a leader of a first-time manager the best investment you can make is support them through this transition. Because leadership is messy, human, and hard. But with the right support, it becomes the most rewarding work they will ever do. And when firsttime managers find flow, their teams, and your organisation, benefit too.

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