73% of Managers are Disengaged
Ever wonder why performance fluctuates widely from one workgroup to another? Even if team members have similar skillsets?
It has WAY more to do with managers than you probably realized.
Take five different people with the same skillset, stick them under five different managers, and you will see drastically different outcomes.
Gallup has the data, and it’s well-worth studying. They estimate that around 70% of the variance in employee engagement is dependent on the manager.
So yes, leadership really does make or break the team!
The goal of today’s email is not to put more pressure on managers, but to help shed light on the engagement problem.
We need to take a serious look at what it takes to get teams from “I’m just here because I have to be” to “Let’s make an impact today!”
Are you ready?
Let’s Rewind: Most Employees (And Managers) Aren’t Engaged
According to Gallup’s 2025 workplace report, employee engagement fell from 23% to 21% in 2024.
Why is this a big deal?
Because this is a step backwards.
Previously, engagement had been on the increase for over a decade (except for a dip during the pandemic).
Now we’re back in reverse, and the reason why? Gallup says, “The primary cause was a drop in manager engagement,” which fell from 30% to 27% in 2024.
The report provided data to support what we intuitively know (and have probably personally experienced). When the manager isn’t engaged, neither is the team.
“The manager is either an engagement-creating coach or an engagement-destroying boss, but both relationships affect employee behavior.” ~ Ken Royal, writing for Gallup
Changing the Trend: What Needs to Happen?
Today’s email isn’t just a data dump. Gallup revealed specific actions that organizations can take to help their managers be more engaged and reverse this troubling trend.
- Ensure managers receive management training. We hear the stories every day of rock star individual contributors who get promoted into management without any preparation for how to do this entirely different job: managing other team members.
- Teach managers effective coaching techniques. The coach approach is a proven way for managers to develop team members without spoon-feeding all the answers to them. It encourages ownership, initiative, and creativity while still providing needed support.
- Increase manager wellbeing through ongoing manager development. Training, coaching, and development for the manager is not a one-and-done proposition. Managers who feel supported and know that their development is a priority to the organization stay more engaged.
We all know this: when managers are engaged they create the conditions for the entire team to be more engaged, resulting in higher productivity, happier employees, and better business outcomes.
But they need support to get there.
Putting It Into Practice
Support takes time, money, and effort…and it might seem overwhelming to get started down this path. Especially if you are in a small organization with big demands, limited resources, and no time to spare.
That’s where Thriving Leaders Circle comes in. This 5-month program covers all three of Gallup’s recommendations for increasing manager engagement. We teach management skills and strategies. We equip managers to use the coach approach every day. And we support manager wellbeing with our inside-out approach to leadership effectiveness.
The program is focused, affordable, and provides new managers with a roadmap to leading with intention and impact. Now in our 6th group, the approach is tried and tested.
We’re accepting applications for a Thriving Leaders Circle group that starts February 3rd. This will most likely be our only group for 2026.
If this email spoke to you, forward it to your CEO and reach out to me for more details. You don’t have to figure this out on your own.