Why great people managers matter more than you think

I’ve had some truly incredible managers in my career. The kind who saw me, championed me, and helped me grow, not just professionally, but personally too.

And I’ve had some dreadful ones. The kind who made me dread every one-to-one, question my abilities, and feel small in a role I once thrived in.

When I talk about “leaders” in this context, I’m mostly referring to line managers. The people we interact with day to day. Because while the CEO and the senior leadership team shape culture, it's our line managers who embody it, reinforce it, or, at times, completely undo it.

The managers who made me

One of my first managers at the BBC made a huge impact. She constantly acknowledged my work, told me specifically what she liked about it, and expressed her genuine appreciation. I felt so motivated. I wanted to keep improving, keep showing her what I could do.

She made me want to grow.

In contrast, I’ve also had managers who saw feedback only as criticism. Every one-to-one felt like a performance review I hadn’t signed up for. A list of things I hadn’t done perfectly, stored up for weeks and delivered all at once. Even though I was meeting the expectations of my role, the way the feedback was handled left me deflated and constantly questioning myself.

I’m a huge believer in giving feedback in the moment. When it’s relevant, contextual, and delivered with curiosity, it becomes a tool for growth, not a character judgment. And it also becomes a normalised part of day to day culture, not something to fear.

Compare these two approaches

Version one (the dreaded one-to-one) – "In last month’s team meeting, your update wasn’t clear enough. You need to be more concise and confident next time."

Version two (in the moment, just after the meeting) – "Hey, how did you feel that team meeting went? I thought your update covered some important points, but I noticed a few people seemed a bit lost. What do you think we could tweak next time to help land the message more clearly?"

One opens the door to reflection, learning and support. The other closes it.

Feedback shapes identity

We’re already wired to downplay our strengths and hold tightly to the negatives. It’s a survival mechanism. So as managers, we have to intentionally counterbalance that. A simple “I noticed this, and here’s why I think it’s brilliant” can go a long way.

Good management is about helping people grow, not just pointing out what they’ve done wrong. And that starts with recognising that we all bring different strengths to the table.

When one size doesn’t fit all

I once worked with a manager who genuinely celebrated the skills I had that didn’t come naturally to her. She’d say, “That’s incredible. I’ve never found that easy, and I love how naturally it comes to you.” She helped me see my differences as superpowers, not shortcomings.

But then I changed managers, and everything shifted.

The new manager had a rigid view of how things should be done. She valued structure, analytics, and process, things that didn’t come as naturally to me. The human, instinctive part of the role I loved was suddenly stripped away. I went from thriving to feeling like I was underperforming. And like the human parts of the role no longer mattered.

Same company. Same job. Different manager. Completely different experience.

When we don’t allow room for different styles, we lose out on the nuance, on the unique contributions that give people energy and joy. We create environments where people are trying to replicate someone else, instead of leaning into their own brilliance.

Not everyone should be a people manager

A big part of the problem? The way we promote people.

We reward technical expertise with management responsibility, as if the two automatically go together. But not everyone wants to manage people. Not everyone is good at it. And that’s okay!

We need to separate seniority from people management. Let the brilliant technical experts stay focused on what they do best. And let the people who have the skills, and the desire, to lead, coach, and support others invest in becoming exceptional managers.

In a previous role, I was responsible primarily for the people side, not the day-to-day delivery.

And that worked. It meant I could show up to one-to-ones fully focused on that person’s growth, without a secondary agenda about project deadlines or client demands.

Of course, that’s not always possible. But we can think more intentionally about who we’re asking to lead others, and whether they have the skills (and appetite) to do so.

People leave managers, not companies

I’ve twice left jobs I loved. Not because of the company, the culture, or the role, but because I changed managers. I’d been thriving, getting brilliant feedback, feeling motivated. Then a new manager came in, and everything changed. I no longer felt seen, understood or valued.

The job hadn’t changed. But the experience had.

Champagne that never trickles down

One client I worked with, a large global organisation, had bold, brilliant cultural aspirations. But they weren’t reaching their people. The day to day experience really didn't match what was written in the culture handbook.

It was like one of those champagne tower displays. You pour the champagne at the top, and it’s meant to trickle down through every glass. But some managers are like champagne dams. They block the flow. They don’t believe in the culture work. They don’t model it. They don’t pass it on. The behaviour actively contradicts it.

So the intention stops with them. The people they manage don’t feel the benefit. The vision doesn’t cascade. And whole sections of the business feel disconnected from what the company claims to stand for.

You can almost trace it back...that’s the manager where the culture stopped flowing.

Yes, there will always be pockets of brilliant managers who buck the trend. But if you’re relying on exceptions to uphold your culture, you’re constantly fighting an uphill battle.

The bottom line

Never underestimate the power of your people managers.

They shape someone’s daily experience. They determine whether people feel stretched or stressed, supported or scrutinised, seen or side-lined.

So if you want a strong, thriving, psychologically safe culture, start there.

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