Only 27% of managers are engaged in their work, according to Gallup’s 2025 State of the Workforce report.
Let that sink in.
The very people responsible for leading teams, driving culture, and translating strategy into action are, themselves, running on empty.
Across industries, managers are caught in what’s called the “manager squeeze.” They are expected to deliver results, uphold culture, and nurture people while fielding demands from every direction. It’s a challenging balancing act: meet targets from above, inspire and support from below, and somehow stay motivated in the middle.
The manager’s role has shifted dramatically.
They must execute directives from leadership and engage, coach, and care for the individuals on their teams. They’re translators of vision and carriers of culture, both strategic and deeply human.
That dual pressure is exactly where the squeeze begins. When the expectations expand faster than the support, managers end up stretched thin and disconnected from their own sense of purpose.
Engagement is contagious, and so is disengagement.
When managers are inspired and supported, their teams feel it. When they are not, the effects ripple outward quickly. Gallup’s research shows that up to 70% of the variance in team engagement can be traced directly to the manager.
If the people in the middle lose energy, the whole system feels it.
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: many managers never received formal preparation for leading people.
They were great individual contributors - skilled, dependable, high-performing. But leading humans is different from managing tasks.
According to Gallup, only about 44% of managers globally have received formal management training. That means most are leading largely on instinct and experience, not development. They have mastered the technical side but often have not been taught the relational side: communication, coaching, feedback, and conflict resolution.
It’s those “people leadership” skills that make the difference between a manager who burns out and one who brings out the best in others.
The impact of disengaged or unsupported managers is not abstract.
It shows up in the numbers and in the culture.
Managers are being told to “be more directive” and “be more empathetic,” often in the same breath.
They are expected to be agile, emotionally intelligent, data-savvy, and endlessly available. Yet few organizations have clarified what the manager role truly is or how to measure success in it.
Without clear expectations, realistic workloads, or consistent training, even the most capable managers become overwhelmed.
Here’s the hopeful part: since manager engagement is one of the strongest levers for team engagement, investing in managers has an outsized return.
Think of engagement as a cascade: organization → manager → team → individual.
If the manager is out of energy, the spark fizzles before it ever reaches the people you want to engage.
Focusing on the manager is not a leadership trend. It is a business imperative.
So how do we relieve the pressure and reignite engagement in the middle? Here are five high-impact moves.
1. Clarify the Manager’s Role
Spell out what managers are truly accountable for: results, development, culture, and operations. Clarity brings relief, focus, and efficiency.
2. Provide Real Training and Support
Most managers have mastered the technical side. Help them build the human side through coaching, communication, and leading through change. Many could be exceptional people leaders; they simply have never been taught how.
3. Reduce Role Overload and Enable Focus
Streamline systems, delegate or automate where possible, and free up time for the “people” work that only humans can do.
4. Build Connection and Community
Encourage consistent check-ins such as one-on-ones, team huddles, and quick pulse surveys. Surround managers with support networks through coaching, mentoring, and peer groups. When managers feel supported, they can support others.
5. Measure and Monitor Manager Engagement
Don’t just track employees. Track managers too. Measure wellbeing, workload, learning, and satisfaction. These insights can flag when someone is nearing burnout long before it leads to turnover.
Managers are not just process owners. They are coaches of culture.
When they are engaged, trained, and trusted, they carry the organization’s values forward in every conversation, decision, and team interaction.
They are not the middle; they are the multiplier.
The manager’s role may be the most impactful of all.
They are the hinge point where strategy meets people, where vision becomes reality, and where culture is either reinforced or lost.
That’s why they deserve support, not only to meet performance metrics, but to thrive as leaders and as humans.
At Spark Engagement, we help managers build the confidence, clarity, and connection they need to lead well through training, coaching, and tools that honor their unique leadership style.
Because when you relieve the squeeze, you ignite the spark, and that spark is what powers engagement across the entire organization.