2026 State of Management Report: 8 Takeaways Every HR Leader Should Know

Here's how most people become managers: They're great at their job. Someone leaves or a new role is created, and everyone supports the promotion. They get a new title they're excited to announce on LinkedIn, a new salary they're excited to see show up in their bank account, and a new calendar full of 1:1s.

But what happens in those 1:1s? Usually, nobody tells the new manager. They're left to figure it out on their own. And that's when the promotion starts feeling less like a celebration and more like a pop quiz.

But we wanted to find out more specifically what happens. So, we asked HR leaders at 301 organizations how their managers are promoted, supported and measured for our 2026 State of Management benchmarking report. Last week, we shared one of the report's findings that really got HR's attention (that only 5% trust all of their managers' employment documentation). This week, it's the full picture.

Below is the replay of our live webinar where we walked through both the findings and the fixes. And after the video, read the key takeaways - including what to actually do about them. 

The Key Takeaways

1) We promote for one job and expect another. 54% of HR leaders said their organizations' most recent manager promotions went to the strongest individual performers. Only 3% used a formal assessment to gauge whether someone was ready to lead people. What's the issue? Being great at the work and being great at leading the people doing the work are two different jobs.

2) Most new managers are left to figure it out. 35% of new managers get no leadership training at all. 42% get ad hoc support, which can be great if you have a boss who's both strong at coaching and able to make time to do it. Only 9% get structured, ongoing training.

3) When the session ends, so does the learning. 65% of organizations do nothing structured after a manager attends training. The most common answer was literally "we hope it sticks." Only 8% follow up with coaching or practice.

4) Feedback is a seasonal event, not a habit. 53% say managers give feedback quarterly or less, and only 11% have a shared framework for it. Left to wing it, most managers just... don't.

5) HR ends up picking up the slack. 52% of HR teams report losing at least half a day every week to situations a manager should have handled. 23% lose more than a full day. Only 8% of organizations say their managers handle difficult situations on their own.

6) Everyone's afraid of what the file says (or doesn't). Only 5% are confident every manager's documentation would hold up if they had to defend a termination tomorrow. The other 95% are one bad exit away from confirming their fears - which means organizations can end up paying the price in court.

7) Nobody truly knows if it works. 63% of HR leaders believe managers drive more than a fifth of their retention, but only 7% have measured it. And 54% don't measure whether manager development works at all.

8) Managers have AI. They don't have a plan for it. In 40% of organizations, managers are experimenting with AI on their own. Another 35% hand managers AI tools with no guidance on using them for the job. Only 10% have built AI into how managers actually work.

What the Organizations Getting It Right Do Differently

This is the part for HR leaders to especially pay attention to. The gaps aren't universal - and the organizations closing them aren't necessarily spending more. Two patterns jumped out:

They define "good" - and actually use it. At organizations with documented manager expectations that nobody uses, or none at all, up to 44% of HR leaders say their managers rarely or never give feedback. Where expectations are documented and actively used in reviews, promotions and coaching? 2%. Same managers, same busy calendars. The difference is knowing what they're aiming for. 

They solve problems closer to the manager. When HR handles most difficult employee situations, nearly half of HR teams lose more than a full day a week. When managers handle them with tools and in-the-moment guidance, that number drops to less than 1%.

It's not about spending more - it's spending on what managers will actually use.

Here's What to Do About It

1) Write down what "good" looks like - on one page managers actually use. Not a 20-page competency model. Three to five expectations, in plain language, in a place where managers will see them. Quick test: ask a few managers to tell you what's expected of them. If they can't, it's time to write it down. Then make it impossible to ignore - bring it into 1:1 agendas, review templates and promotion conversations. The best expectations document isn't the one that looks nice but lives untouched in the shared drive. It's the one managers reference without being asked.

2) Support managers in the moment, not just in a workshop. The workshop isn't the hard part. The hard part is the tough conversation six weeks later, when the slides are long gone. Give managers something they can grab right before the conversation - a script, a template, a quick coaching call. One of the simplest habits to teach: after any meaningful feedback conversation, send a two-line recap. "Thanks for talking through the client report today. As discussed, we'll aim to have drafts to me by Wednesday going forward so we can make sure they're accurate and on time." That's better feedback, clearer expectations and documentation that holds up - in about 30 seconds.

3) Give AI clear tasks instead of letting managers wing it. Managers are already using it. The question is whether they're using it for the right things. Start with two or three specific manager responsibilities, like prepping for a 1:1 ("Here are my notes from my last three 1:1s with this team member. What open commitments and themes should I follow up on?") or rehearsing a tough conversation before it happens. Be just as clear about what AI shouldn't do - writing a performance review on its own or making a call on someone's job - and which tools are approved for employee information.

None of these require a bigger budget. They require realizing that "we hope it sticks" isn't a strategy - and deciding to take steps to fix it.

Get the Full 2026 State of Management Report 

The webinar covers the highlights, but the full report goes deeper for HR and L&D leaders - including how results shift based on where difficult situations get resolved, what organizations spend per manager and what they expect for 2027 budgets.

👉 Download the full 2026 State of Management Report here

You can read it and share it with your leadership team. It's a lot easier to make the case for manager development when you can show them where your organization stands next to 300 others.

If you're in HR: if any of these numbers felt a little too familiar, you're in good company - and you don't have to fix it one manager at a time. Our leadership platform was built for exactly these gaps: courses for new and experienced managers, toolkits they actually use, a shared language for feedback and 1:1s, an AI coach built for manager work and cohorts that help managers solve more on their own. Book a call here to see how your organization compares to the 2026 benchmarks. If you book a call by October 15, you'll receive a signed copy of The Manager Method after the call.

If you're a manager: if you were promoted for being great at your old job and handed the new one with a "you'll do great," you're not alone - and we have something for you. Manager 101 gives you the scripts, tools and frameworks most organizations never get around to - so you're not left hoping for the best.