New Manager? Only Divorce Is Worse

Making the transition to a management role is second only to divorce when it comes to traumatic life events, CIPD research has revealed.

Almost two-thirds (59 per cent) of the 600 managers surveyed for CIPD Research Insight, Investigating Leadership Transitions, rated a career transition as “extremely” or “very” challenging. A sudden rise in responsibility at work therefore came ahead of bereavement (55 per cent), becoming a parent (53 per cent) and moving house (34 per cent), with divorce or separation topping the poll at 71 per cent.

Vanessa Robinson, CIPD adviser, organisation and resourcing, said the result shows that newly promoted leaders need more support. “We wouldn’t expect people to take on an unfamiliar technical role without appropriate training and support. Yet all too often we’re happy to let people loose on important leadership roles without helping them to develop the necessary skills. Training and equipping leaders with the right resources is essential. Leaders need to understand that their new roles require different ways of thinking.”