It's Not Me, It's You: An Open Letter To Managers in 2025.

If you’re a manager in 2025...we need to talk.

In the past five years alone, we’ve weathered a pandemic, The Great Resignation, the remote work revolution, and now, we’re facing a rapidly destabilizing market. You’d think by now we’d have learned that leadership is more than task delegation and performance reviews. That authority isn’t the same thing as influence. That “people first” isn’t a buzzword—it’s a survival strategy.

And yet, many companies are still clinging to outdated management habits that do nothing but stifle creativity, erode morale, and push out the very people they hired for their expertise.

As someone who has been both an employee and a leader, I’ve seen the full spectrum: from transformational managers who elevate their teams, to well-meaning ones who miss the mark, to those whose leadership style sabotages the entire organization. This post is for the latter group.

So let’s touch on the top three managerial archetypes that might just be dragging your business down.

1. The Drill Sergeant

This manager barks orders and expects either silent compliance or enthusiastic validation. Their unspoken mantra? “If it’s not my idea, it’s a terrible idea.” They take credit for their team's wins and point fingers when faced with failure. They create a culture of fear, not respect. They operate under the belief that if something isn’t broken, it doesn’t need fixing—even if it’s painfully outdated or grossly inefficient. Heaven forbid someone suggests a better way.

But here’s the harsh truth: when employees are treated like task rabbits instead of trusted professionals, performance drops. Fast. Creativity shrivels. Engagement disappears.

🧠 Research from Harvard Business Review shows that authoritarian leadership significantly lowers both employee creativity and team innovation—two things your business needs to stay competitive in a volatile economy.

If your team isn’t growing, neither is your company.

2. The Lackey

This is the manager who never outwardly takes a side… but consistently enforces the will of senior leadership. They’ll listen patiently to their team’s frustrations, nod empathetically, maybe even agree—but they never act. They don’t advocate. They don’t push back. They just keep the chain of command moving along smoothly, no matter who gets steamrolled in the process.

The result? Disillusioned, disengaged employees.

📉 According to Gallup, managers account for 70% of the variance in employee engagement. And disengaged employees? They cost companies an estimated 34% of their salary in lost productivity, missed deadlines, and lower quality work. In an economy already under pressure, you literally can’t afford middle managers who are afraid to speak up.

What’s more: middle managers have the greatest direct impact on the level of engagement - and therefore, output - of the team members under their supervision. Employees led by engaged middle managers are 59% more likely to also be engaged.

Senior Leaders - you have a role in this too! If there’s one place where the “Trickle Down” theory works, it’s here. Middle managers under the leadership of engaged senior leaders are 39% more likely to be engaged than those whose Senior Leaders take a back seat when it comes to their direct reports. Those managers then influence the engagement of their team members.

So, senior leaders, simply by prioritizing the engagement of your middle managers, senior leaders, you can increase your organization’s overall success. More specifically, you can increase customer loyalty by at least 10%, employee productivity by 14%-18%, employee wellbeing by 70%, organizational profitability by 23%, and organizational participation by 22%.

3. The Wizard

This one’s tricky. The Wizard looks like an ally. They make you feel seen. They offer promises of advocacy, mentorship, protection. But when it’s time to confront a toxic boss, broken processes, or inequitable practices—they disappear. Smoke. Mirrors. Silence. 💨

These managers don't resolve problems—they pacify them. And they do so just enough to keep employees hanging on… until, of course, they don’t.

⚠️ Studies have shown that employees who experience broken trust in leadership not only disengage but become more likely to actively undermine performance, intentionally or not. Disengagement isn't passive—it shows up in customer service, quality of work, and retention.

If you encounter the same problems in your business year after year—and you’re still pointing the finger at the people you hired—maybe it’s time to confront the harsh truth:

It’s not them. It’s you.

“Engagement is not a characteristic of employees, but rather an experience created by organizations, managers and team members.” - Ryan Pendell

You can’t expect high performance from people who don’t feel valued, safe, or heard. And you definitely can’t build a resilient business by cycling through talent and hoping someone sticks around long enough to make it work.

A company cannot thrive without its people. In a declining economy, poor management isn’t just annoying—it’s dangerous. It erodes your foundation from the inside out. And no, you won’t always see the damage right away. But it’s there. In your turnover metrics. In your Glassdoor reviews. In the subtle shift of your most talented employees slowly checking out.

The Good News: The Fix Isn’t Complicated

You don’t need to overhaul your personality or sign up for a $10,000 coaching program to turn things around (some of you might). You need to start leading like someone who gets it - like someone who’s been there before.

Try a few simple transitions:

🔄 From Commanding → to Collaborating: Involve your team in decisions that affect their work. This seems like common sense, but the number of times I’ve seen decisions made about a team member's work in that team member's absence is alarming. I can’t think of a faster way to tell an employee that you don’t care for their input.

🛡️ From Performing Allyship → to Practicing Advocacy: Use your influence to challenge broken systems, not just comfort those affected by them. If you stay silent for fear of the same consequence that your team members will face because of your silence, you might as well dole out the penalty yourself. More importantly, if fear governs the level of support you extend to your team, your organization needs a true, loud advocate more than anything.

🤝 From Authority → to Authenticity: Be honest. Be clear. Be willing to say, “I don’t know, but I’m working on it.” And then demonstrate that you’re working on it.

The Punchline

This post isn’t about blame—it’s about accountability. As someone who has led and been led, I’ve seen what works and what breaks people - and consequently, companies - down.

If you want a sustainable, adaptable, people-centered business in 2025 and beyond, it starts with your leadership. Not your title. Not your resume. Your impact.

So ask yourself:

Would you want to work for you?

—Someone Who’s Sat in Both Chairs and Still Believes We Can Do Better