How to set new managers
up for success
A practical playbook for supporting the transition from individual contributor to manager
#Managers
How to set new managers up for success
A practical playbook for supporting the transition from individual contributor to manager
#Managers
Most organisations leave manager success to chance.
Someone performs well as an individual contributor, gets promoted, attends a workshop, and is expected to figure the rest out in the flow of work. Some do. Many struggle.
The transition into management is one of the most significant shifts in someone’s career. It involves a change in mindset, identity, and skillset. Without deliberate support, new managers default to what they know, which is often doing the work themselves rather than leading others to do it.
Supporting new managers effectively does not require a complex programme. It requires getting a few critical things right, at the right moments.
1. Start before the promotion, not after it
Most manager development begins once someone has already stepped into the role. By that point, they are learning under pressure.
A more effective approach is to prepare people before they become managers.
This means helping potential managers understand what the role actually involves, and what will be expected of them. Not just the tasks, but the shift in how they create value.
Moving from individual contributor to manager is not about doing more. It is about getting work done through others. That requires a different mindset, and not everyone wants, or is suited to, that shift.
Giving people early exposure to this reality allows for better decisions. Some will opt in with clarity. Others may decide to remain on an individual contributor path, which is often the better outcome for both the individual and the organisation.
In practice, this can be lightweight. Short sessions, shadowing opportunities, or informal briefings that make the role visible and tangible.
2. Make management a choice, not the default progression
In many organisations, becoming a manager is seen as the natural next step. It is associated with progression, status, and reward.
The result is predictable. People move into management for the wrong reasons, and organisations end up with managers who are not particularly interested in, or suited to, developing others.
A more effective model is to treat management as a different path, not a higher one.
This requires designing career progression so that strong individual contributors can continue to grow, earn, and have influence without needing to manage people. In parallel, management becomes a path for those who are motivated by building teams and developing others.
This is not just a structural decision. It is a signal.
It tells the organisation that management is a distinct capability, not simply a reward for past performance.
3. Give new managers a practical support network
The early months of management are filled with uncertainty.
New managers encounter situations they have not faced before. Giving feedback, handling underperformance, setting direction, balancing delivery with development. These are not theoretical challenges, they are immediate and often uncomfortable.
Having access to someone who has done this before makes a significant difference.
This does not need to be formal mentoring in the traditional sense. It can be as simple as pairing new managers with experienced ones who are willing to act as a sounding board. Someone they can ask, “How would you handle this?” or “Does this approach make sense?”
This creates a bridge between learning and application. It allows new managers to sense-check their thinking and adjust in real time, rather than relying solely on formal training.
4. Treat the manager transition like an onboarding process
Most organisations are rigorous about onboarding new hires. Far fewer apply the same discipline to onboarding new managers.
The result is inconsistency. Some managers receive strong support from their own manager. Others are largely left to figure things out.
A more effective approach is to treat the first few months of management as a structured transition.
This can include:
- A clear set of expectations for what good management looks like
- A sequence of conversations that new managers should have with their teams
- Guidance on how to run one-to-ones, set priorities, and establish ways of working
- Regular check-ins with their own manager focused on how they are leading, not just what they are delivering
The role of the manager of the new manager is critical here. They are not just overseeing output, they are shaping how that manager operates.
Creating a simple checklist or framework for these early months introduces consistency and reduces the likelihood that new managers are left unsupported.
5. Focus on real-world application, not just training
Training has a role, particularly in helping new managers understand core concepts. But capability is built through use, not exposure.
New managers need opportunities to apply what they are learning in real situations, and to receive feedback on how they are doing.
This can be supported in a number of ways. Encouraging managers to bring real challenges into discussions, reviewing how they structure goals or run meetings, or reflecting on how a recent conversation went and what could be improved.
What matters is that development is connected to the work itself.
There is also increasing scope to support this in more scalable ways. Tools can now provide prompts, guidance, or feedback on common management activities, helping managers refine how they operate in the moment.
The key shift is from “learning about management” to “getting better at managing”.
6. Make the manager’s manager accountable for development
If there is one factor that consistently determines whether new managers succeed, it is the behaviour of their own manager.
This is the person who sets expectations, provides feedback, and signals what matters. If they are engaged in developing their managers, asking about how they are leading, giving feedback, and reinforcing good practice, capability grows quickly.
If they are not, it does not.
This is where many organisations fall short. Manager development is treated as the responsibility of L&D or People teams, rather than as a core responsibility of leaders.
Shifting this does not require new programmes. It requires clarity and accountability.
Managers of managers should be expected to:
- Discuss management practice regularly in one-to-ones
- Provide feedback on how their managers are leading, not just what they are delivering
- Reinforce the behaviours the organisation is trying to build
When this happens, development moves out of the classroom and into the organisation itself.
Bringing it together
Supporting new managers is less about creating more content and more about shaping the transition effectively.
Starting earlier, making management a deliberate choice, providing practical support, structuring the transition, focusing on application, and ensuring reinforcement through line managers all contribute to better outcomes.
Individually, none of these are complex. Together, they create the conditions in which new managers can succeed.
