Chris Cummings
Founder, Wellbeing at Work
The right managers can make or break employee wellbeing and drive organisational performance.
Gallup’s recent study Why Great Managers Are So Rare found that companies fail to choose the candidate with the right talent 82% of the time, leading to poor engagement and billions of pounds of losses for organisations.
Manager impact on wellbeing
One of the biggest influences on an employee’s wellbeing is their manager. For almost 70% of people, their manager has more impact on their mental health than their therapist or their doctor — and it’s equal to the impact of their partner! Yet, while the role of managers in team wellbeing is clear, their influence on organisational performance is often overlooked.
There’s no doubt that managers have a significant impact on their team, but the significance on organisational performance and profitability is highlighted less. As the old saying goes, ‘People don’t leave jobs, they leave managers.’ And with pressure building and a reduced headcount, managers aren’t equipped with the skills they need to enable high-performing teams.
My view has always been that all leaders should be coaches, not managers.
Coaching vs managing
Managers under pressure often lack the skills to develop high-performing teams. My view has always been that all leaders should be coaches, not managers. Coaches focus on individual development, provide effective feedback, build trust and foster psychological safety. They handle pressure calmly, think long-term and create adaptive teams that learn and improve rather than simply execute tasks.
Unlocking high performance
To unlock huge opportunities, deliver high-performing teams that shift our GDP in a positive direction, build strong engagement and resilience at work and manage the constant challenges we all face, we must think differently about our recruitment and skills required for managers. The current situation, as Gallup highlights, isn’t sustainable and will inevitably lead to poorer results for companies.
For over a decade, I’ve observed this being a challenge for business leaders worldwide, so we must think differently now to change our economic fortunes. A strategic approach to wellbeing in the workplace with coaches at the heart of the management engine delivers positive results — something explained in more detail in my new book The Wellbeing Centered Workplace.
