Many organisations assume that their best managers will naturally transition into effective senior leaders. But without targeted development, this assumption comes at a cost, one that often goes unnoticed until performance, retention, and business growth start to suffer.

The Cost of Leadership Gaps

When managers step into senior roles unprepared, the impact ripples across teams and the wider organisation. Here’s what’s at stake:

1. Underperformance at the Top – Senior roles demand strategic thinking, cross-functional collaboration, and decision-making under pressure. A manager promoted without these skills can struggle, leading to stalled projects, ineffective leadership, and team disengagement.
2. Increased Turnover – A poorly prepared senior leader can create instability, causing high-performers to leave due to a lack of clear direction or confidence in leadership.
3. Lost Productivity – When senior managers don’t delegate effectively or prioritise the right initiatives, productivity drops and inefficiencies increase, costing the business time and resources.
4. Culture and Engagement Decline – Employees look to senior leaders for clarity and motivation. Without strong leadership, culture erodes, engagement wanes, and discretionary effort declines.
5. Financial Implications – A misaligned senior manager can directly impact revenue, from missed opportunities to costly hiring and restructuring efforts when things don’t work out.

Why Many Managers Aren’t Ready

Most organisations invest in leadership development at senior levels but neglect the crucial transition period from middle management upwards. The reality is that many managers:

• Haven’t had exposure to senior-level decision-making.
• Are strong in execution but lack strategic foresight.
• Haven’t built the influencing skills needed for senior stakeholder management.
• Have been promoted based on past performance rather than future potential.

The Solution: Developing Managers Before the Promotion

Rather than waiting for managers to ‘figure it out’ in senior roles, organisations must invest in structured, scalable development that equips them ahead of time. This includes:

• Targeted training on strategic thinking, influencing, and decision-making.
• Real-time coaching to develop senior-level leadership behaviours.
• Behavioural insights to help managers understand their strengths and development areas before stepping up.

At Perform, we help organisations close the readiness gap, ensuring managers are not just promoted but truly prepared for senior leadership. Because when leaders are ready, teams thrive, cultures strengthen, and businesses grow.

Are you looking to prepare your managers for what’s next? Download our Leadership Readiness Blueprint to equip your managers with the skills they need for senior roles: Leadership Readiness Blueprint.

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