Why Good Managers Don’t Just Happen: The ROI of Management Training
Let’s play a game. Think of the best manager you’ve ever had. Now think of the worst.
Odds are, the best one knew how to coach, communicate, delegate, and maybe even made you laugh in the middle of chaos. The worst? Probably left you in the dark, micromanaged your coffee break, and made your Sunday Scaries worse than your tax return.
Here’s the secret sauce: great managers are made, not born—and that’s where management training comes in.
The fallacy of the “born manager”
Saying someone is born to be a manager is like saying they’re born to be a dentist.. Maybe they don’t faint at the sight of blood, but without training, you probably don’t want them near your pearly whites.
Management is a skill set, not a personality trait. Empathy, feedback delivery, performance coaching, conflict resolution—these are trainable skills, not mystical gifts bestowed by the HR gods.
The ROI: Show Me the Money (and the Morale)
So what’s the actual return on investing in management training?
1. Higher Employee Retention
According to Gallup, managers account for at least 70% of the variance in employee engagement. And engagement is directly tied to turnover. Translation? A bad boss costs you talent faster than you can say “exit interview.”
Cost of replacing an employee: Up to 2x their annual salary (SHRM, 2022).
Effective manager training: Can reduce turnover by 30%+ (LinkedIn Learning, 2023).
2. Productivity Gains
Trained managers lead more efficient teams. They delegate better, motivate more, and run fewer “death by PowerPoint” meetings. Companies that invest in training see a 24% higher profit margin than those that don’t (ATD Research).
3. Culture, Culture, Culture
Managers shape culture more than posters in the canteen ever could. According to Google’s landmark Project Oxygen, high-performing teams had one thing in common: great managers.
What Great Training Looks Like
Let’s be clear: we’re not talking about a 200-slide PowerPoint and a lukewarm bagel. Great management training is:
Practical (role-playing tough conversations > reading about them)
Interactive (yes, even introverts want breakout rooms—sometimes)
Ongoing (a one-and-done workshop won’t fix years of bad habits)
And it doesn’t need to be expensive. We have options to suit all budgets.
Still Not Convinced?
Consider this: you wouldn’t let an untrained pilot fly a plane. Why let an untrained manager lead your most valuable asset—your people?
Invest in them. Teach them. Support them. Because when managers grow, everyone else does too.
TL;DR:
Management training isn’t a perk—it’s a business necessity. It drives retention, productivity, and profit. So the next time someone suggests cutting the training budget, just smile and say, “Cool. Let’s also cancel fire drills and uninstall antivirus software while we’re at it.”
References
Gallup (2022) State of the Global Workplace: 2022 Report.
SHRM (2022) The Real Cost of Turnover. Society for Human Resource Management.
LinkedIn Learning (2023) 2023 Workplace Learning Report: Building the Agile Future.
Association for Talent Development (2019) The Business Case for Learning: Using Design Thinking to Deliver Business Results and Increase the Investment in Talent Development.
Google re:Work (n.d.) Guide: Identify What Makes a Great Manager.