In our recent event with Culture Amp, Building Resilient Managers in 2025, we brought together HR and leadership development leaders to discuss the state of management today—and what organizations can do to strengthen and support their managers in the year ahead

Guided by expert insights from Albert Villarde,  Mento Executive Coach and former CIO at Cloverheatlh, and Noah Boyd, Senior People Scientist at Culture Amp, we explored the latest research and strategies for helping managers grow their leadership and resilience in what’s already shaping up to be another complex and uncertain year ahead.

Here are a few highlights  from our conversation that you can bring to your organization:

Managers Are Overwhelmed—And It’s Hurting Everyone

If you’re in leadership development, you already know that managers are overwhelmed — the data paints an even starker picture:

• 54% of managers report experiencing work-induced stress and fatigue.
• 45% of managers spend more time managing projects than people.
• 50% of employees do NOT trust their manager’s ability to lead successfully over the next two years.

Managers aren’t just overwhelmed—they’re also receiving less support than ever. According to Culture Amp, as the number of direct reports increases, a manager’s likelihood of feeling supported by their own leadership plummets:

• Managers with 4-5 direct reports are 65% less likely to feel supported.
• Managers with 6-8 direct reports are 77% less likely to feel supported.
• Managers with 9+ direct reports are 88% less likely to feel supported.

And despite budgets starting to return, organizations accrued significant “manager debt” as they  massively reduced investment in managers over the past few years:

• 83% of companies reduced leadership development budgets in recent years.
• 60% of companies spend less than $500 per manager per year on leadership development.

The result? Managers are overwhelmed, overworked, underskilled, and not able to deliver on the foundational needs of their teams.

The Solution: Helping Managers Reclaim Their Core Role

Despite these challenges, our discussion highlighted a clear path forward. Organizations can help managers regain control by refocusing on core leadership fundamentals—continuous feedback, goal alignment, and meaningful one-on-one conversations.

In doing so, organizations see the following improvements, all of which are associated with higher business performance:

• 17% drop in turnover
• 27% increase in motivation
• 10% more positive perceptions of leadership
• 13% greater confidence in their company
• 10% higher net promoter scores (NPS)

It’s important to remember that managers are also direct reports of your senior leaders. They often benefit from the same management behaviors that individual contributors do. Research from Culture Amp found that when senior leaders role-model foundational management behaviors, the impact cascades throughout the organization:

• Employees are 3x more likely to engage in regular 1:1s.
• They are 4.7x more likely to give public recognition.
• They are 6.4x more likely to have a development plan.
• They are 19.7x more likely to give continuous feedback.

What Can Organizations Do Today?

Acknowledge and Address the Support Gap
Many managers don’t feel they have the guidance they need. Organizations must actively listen to managers and ensure they receive the mentorship, coaching, and development resources necessary to thrive.

Hold Senior Leaders Accountable for Role-Modeling Good Management
Resilient managers start with resilient leadership. Senior leaders need to set the example by prioritizing regular feedback, structured 1:1s, and clear goal-setting within their teams.

Adopt Frameworks Like SMART Work Design to Reduce Burnout
Research from MIT Sloan suggests that well-structured jobs reduce burnout and improve resilience. Organizations can use frameworks like SMART (Stimulating work, Mastery, Autonomy, Relational work, and Tolerable demands) to optimize workloads and prevent overwhelm.

Encourage Managers to Speak Up About Workload Challenges
A Harvard Business Review study found that burnout is closely tied to psychological safety. Managers need a safe space to voice concerns about workload and receive support without fear of repercussions.

Reinvest in Leadership Development
Cutting development budgets for managers may seem like a short-term cost-saving measure, but it leads to long-term challenges and negative impact. Organizations that invest in coaching and leadership development see stronger, more resilient managers who are better equipped to support their teams.

Looking Ahead: Building Resilient Managers for 2025 and Beyond

As we head into 2025, one thing is clear: supporting managers isn’t optional—it’s essential. Organizations that take proactive steps to empower their managers will have more engaged employees, and ultimately, drive better business outcomes.

At Mento, we believe in helping organizations build exceptional leaders through personalized coaching and mentorship development. If you’re ready to equip your managers with the skills and support they need to thrive, let’s talk.