The Manager Gap: Why Companies Keep Scaling the Wrong Layer
There’s a reason so many organizational problems seem to live in the middle. Engagement issues. Retention challenges. Burnout. Inconsistent performance.
Companies often point to “management” as the problem—but rarely stop to ask why managers are struggling in the first place.
Here’s the truth: middle management is one of the most difficult, most misunderstood, positions in corporate America. And yet, it’s the layer companies keep scaling without fixing.
The Middle Is Where Everything Collides
Middle managers sit in a constant tension point. They’re responsible for developing the people below them—often without the training, tools, or time to do it well. At the same time, they’re reporting up to leaders who may be far removed from the day-to-day reality of the work, or worse, leaders who offload responsibility without offering direction, clarity, or support.
Managers are expected to drive performance, coach and develop talent, reinforce culture, manage morale, execute strategy all while absorbing the pressure from above and protecting the team below.
That’s not a gap in effort. That’s a gap in design.
Managers Are the Lever—But They’re Overloaded
Let’s be clear: managers are the culture carriers. They are the performance drivers. They are the retention levers. But that doesn’t mean they’re failing because they don’t care. They’re failing because often times:
they are promoted without leadership training
they inherit broken systems
they are primarily rewarded for output rather than people development
they are stuck managing up and down with limited authority
When senior leadership is misaligned, underqualified, or disconnected, the pressure doesn’t disappear—it slides downhill and lands squarely on managers.
And then we act surprised when things break (*sigh).
Not Everyone Should Be a Manager—and That Matters
One of the most damaging assumptions companies make is that tenure equals readiness. I’m here to say it loud for the people in the back…just because someone has been at a company for years does not mean they should lead people. Just because someone is a top individual contributor doesn’t mean they have the skills—or the desire—to manage others.
When the wrong people get promoted, two things happen:
Teams suffer under poor leadership.
Middle managers spend their time compensating for gaps instead of developing talent.
That’s how you end up with disengaged employees, uneven performance, and a leadership bench that never quite strengthens.
Why People Leave—and Why the Middle Gets Blamed
There’s a reason managers are consistently cited as the top reason employees leave companies. It’s not because managers are inherently bad.
It’s because they’re the most visible expression of leadership. Employees don’t experience strategy decks. They experience their manager.
If managers are overwhelmed, unsupported, or poorly led themselves, that experience trickles down—no matter how strong the company’s values statement is.
What Actually Fixes the Manager Gap
The solution isn’t more pressure on managers. It is better leadership design. What does that mean? That means:
promoting based on capability, not tenure
investing in manager development early and consistently
clarifying what leadership actually means at every level
holding senior leaders accountable so the middle can breathe
When the right people are promoted and supported, managers get the space to do what they’re meant to do: develop people based on strengths, build trust, and create teams that want to stay.
Where TDC Focuses the Work
At The Dezonie Collective, this is where we focus the work—not by blaming managers, but by helping organizations redesign how leadership is built, supported, and sustained. Because when the middle is equipped instead of overloaded, managers can actually develop people, strengthen teams, and build leaders who last.
Fix the system, and the middle stops breaking.
