You know that moment when you step into someone else’s team and instantly see all the slow leaks? Jon had that moment.
When a Leader Steps Into Someone Else’s Team
Jon rescheduled our coaching call because he was covering for his direct report, Brad, who oversees seven people. Brad was on vacation, deadlines were coming fast, and Jon ended up running the team for two weeks.
It changed how he saw everything.
Jon: “I’ve had a full two weeks. And honestly? Revelatory.”
Steve: “Ooooh! ‘Revelatory’ is a good word! What was revealed?”
Jon: “I think I have to fire Brad out of the manager role. Or move him somewhere else. But I’m not sure I want to hand this problem to someone else.”
Steve: “What problem?”
Jon: “He’s just not getting enough out of them. We were hitting delays, missing details that snowball. And it doesn’t have to be that way.”
After a pause, he continued:
Jon: “They need clearer structures. Faster feedback. More support. And they need to be pushed more. It’s not just about experience; it’s how he’s working with them.”
Jon and Brad aren’t unique. This is a pattern I’m seeing across industries:
- The manager role is compressing.
- More duties. More emotional labor. More communication.
- Same expectations for flawless execution.
- And most managers were never trained for this version of the job.
Why Are Managers Feeling the Pressure?
Here are the three forces tightening the screws:
- Promoted for expertise, not for leading people
Many managers rise because they were standout individual contributors.
But the skills that make someone a great producer don’t automatically translate into coaching, guiding, and aligning others.
This is the classic “player-to-coach” dilemma.
- Growing expectations for personal support
Managers are now expected to support their teams professionally and personally. The line between “work” and “well-being” has blurred, and most managers weren’t trained for this level of emotional labor.
- Communication pressure from rapid change
- In office → Remote → hybrid → return-to-office
- AI adoption
- Organization restructures
- Faster product cycles
Every shift multiplies communication work. More change = more alignment required.
And misalignment is where delays, rework, friction, and burnout erupt.
A Quick Reality Check (Take 60 seconds)
A few coaching questions:
- Where are you seeing repeated delays or rework?
- Are senior leaders stepping in for managers more often than they should?
- Where does quality control or decision-making break down?
- Are any managers clearly overwhelmed — or “quietly drowning”?
If any of these sparked a thought, you’ve found a data point!
The Fix That Actually Moves the Needle
There are many levers to pull, but one consistently delivers results:
Prioritize soft skills as core management competencies.
Soft skills let managers:
- Support individuals and teams so people show up ready
- Translate expertise into clear, usable guidance
- Read and manage emotions so conflicts de-escalate
- Communicate crisply to reduce mistakes and increase alignment
These are the skills that turn good managers into force multipliers.
A Micro-Case: Getting to the Real Issue
Brad eventually admitted something important: He didn’t actually want to manage people.He’d been torn for months; wanting to return to solo-contributor work but fearing the ego hit of what looked like a “demotion.”
So Jon and I navigated a delicate transition:
- How do we reposition the shift without undermining Brad?
- How do we support him while moving him to a role where he’ll thrive?
- How do we protect team momentum through the change?
It took a few careful conversations, transparent expectations, and some internal PR. But the real win wasn’t the restructure — it was Jon’s clarity.
He didn’t walk away thinking:
“I need someone with deeper technical chops.”
He walked away thinking:
“I need someone who can actually lead.”
👆 That insight shaped every hiring and development decision that followed.
So What’s Your Key Takeaway?
Soft skills aren’t “soft.” They’re the delivery system for every strategic priority you care about.
If your managers are carrying pressure they weren’t trained for, we can help.
👉 Book a call and we’ll take a practical, human look at what’s happening, and what can change.
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Written by: Steve Longan, Director of Coach Training Programs
