๐ช๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐น๐ฒ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ๐, ๐ฆ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐ช๐ถ๐น๐น ๐๐ป๐๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ผ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐
When most companies are slashing middle management for quick cost savings, the companies that succeed will be the ones investing more in developing authentic people leaders.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น: managers are burning out, and most no longer want the job. This creates a massive opportunity for companies willing to fix the role instead of eliminating it.
Hereโs why this contrarian bet will pay off.
๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฎโ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐น๐น๐ฎ๐ฝ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด. Statistics Canada shows productivity dropped 1% in the last quarterโour worst performance in years. RBC economists attribute this to poor management and a lack of investment. Gutting the layer that translates strategy into execution wonโt fix thisโit will accelerate the decline.
๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐๐. Twenty years of global research prove that companies with strong management practices innovate faster and waste less time. Canadian companies already lag the U.S. in management quality. While competitors cut for short-term savings, smart companies will upgrade their management approach.
๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐ป๐ด๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐. Gallup research shows managers account for 70% of whether teams are engaged at work. In Canada, where employee mental health is at its worst point since 2020, effective managers who provide coaching and support directly impact performance and retention.
๐ ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐น ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ $๐ฑ๐ฌ+ ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฎโ๐ ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ผ๐บ๐ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ, ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐น๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ท๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ. Bad leadership makes it worse. Investing in better managers is one of the most powerful ways to reduce this burdenโand keep people performing at their best.
๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ฑ๐ผ:
โข ๐๐ผ๐น๐ฑ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ป๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฝ. If someone canโt lead, move them out of the roleโdonโt let poor leadership stick around.
โข ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ป ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฟ๐ผ๐น๐ฒ๐. Strip away busy work and create space for managers to coach and develop their teams, rather than just chasing metrics.
โข ๐๐ป๐๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฝ ๐๐ธ๐ถ๐น๐น๐. Give managers practical training in coaching, psychological safety, and effective performance conversations, and then track the results.
๐๐ผ๐ปโ๐ ๐ฒ๐น๐ถ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐บ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐น๐ฒ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ๐. ๐๐น๐ฒ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐บ.
Sources: Statistics Canada, RBC Economics, Gallup, TELUS Health, McKinsey, Harvard Business Review, CAMH