Through their outstanding skills and expertise, they’ve ascended the ranks and now find themselves in uncharted leadership terrain, ill-prepared for the journey ahead. These are the accidental managers: plentiful in number and thus exerting considerable influence on the world of work.  

Some of these leaders continue to excel in their newfound positions, overcoming a lack of preparation and training through a combination of intuition, observational learning and proactive self-improvement. 

But their success in management is something they've achieved in spite of how they got there, not because of it.

Knock-on effects

Imagine a tech startup that promotes a software engineer into a management role, to keep up with rapid growth. The engineer's technical skills don't translate well to leading a team, as she lacks prior management experience and leadership training. 

As a result, she struggles to set clear goals, provide feedback, delegate tasks and communicate effectively with other departments. 

This has knock-on effects throughout the organisation, including lack of alignment, decreased productivity, reduced efficiency and, inevitably, lower morale. 

Overwhelmed

It’s tough on the accidental managers themselves, too. They’re often significantly overwhelmed by their new responsibilities, doubting their abilities and legitimacy as leaders. 

These feelings can manifest as controlling or dismissive tendencies, creating a climate of fear and distrust that reduces psychological safety – one of the most important factors in a high-performing team. This in turn stifles creativity and innovation, and creates high staff turnover.

But there is a silver lining: an individual's path into management, accidental or intentional, doesn’t dictate their future success. Gallup found only one in 10 managers possess what was described as “the natural talent to manage”. 

Minimise adverse effects

By offering resources, training and assistance, organisations can minimise the adverse effects and amplify the potential advantages that accidental managers contribute: fresh perspectives, lack of a bureaucratic mindset and the ability to resonate with the experience of workers with whom they were recently shoulder to shoulder. 

Here are six strategies to super-charge accidental managers:

1) Provide comprehensive onboarding programmes

Develop an onboarding programme specifically designed for new managers, covering essential leadership skills, company culture, expectations and resources available to them. This will help accidental managers to smoothly transition into their new roles.

2) Design customised leadership development plans 

Work with accidental managers to create personalised development plans that address their unique strengths and areas for growth. Regularly check in with them during one-to-ones. Use this information to refine support strategies and celebrate successes, as well as evaluate and adjust their workload to ensure they have enough time to focus on their leadership responsibilities while still completing their individual tasks.

3) Support cross-functional training models

Encourage accidental managers to participate in cross-functional training, collaboration or job rotation to gain a deeper understanding of the organisation and its goals, enhancing their decision-making and problem-solving abilities.

4) Set up mentorship and peer support programmes

Pair new managers with experienced mentors who can provide guidance and support as they navigate their new roles. Mentors can share their own experiences and offer advice on how to overcome common challenges. Likewise, establish peer support groups where accidental managers can share experiences, challenges and best practices. These groups can provide valuable emotional and practical support for new managers facing similar situations. 

5) Encourage reflection

Inspire accidental managers to reflect on their progress and growth, both individually and as part of the team. By fostering self-awareness, organisations can support them in identifying areas of improvement and developing strategies for success. By celebrating strengths, enterprises can help these managers to feel more confident in their roles and demonstrate their value to the team.

6) Adjust their mindset

Work with accidental managers to shift their mindset from being a doer to an enabler. This can be a tough shift to make, but their job is no longer to code, crunch numbers and write reports; their job is now to support, coach and inspire their team to achieve results through their own efforts. This includes a rethink of what “success” looks like. 

The most forward-thinking organisations today recognise the value of investing in their new leaders. 

By providing these individuals with the requisite resources, training and mentorship, these companies cultivate a culture of continuous learning and development that ultimately pays dividends for the individual, their team and the company's bottom line. 

In this environment, accidental managers often emerge as the surprise linchpins of sustained growth and profitability.