Managers Used to Have an Edge. Now They’re Just Keeping Up.

Do you ever get to the end of a week of leading people and realize you didn’t do a single thing you’d consider your own work?

You’re not the only one. And it’s not a character problem. It’s not even a time management problem.

Gallup’s 2026 State of the Global Workplace found manager engagement has dropped from 31% in 2022 to 22% last year. The steepest fall came between 2024 and 2025. This means managers used to be meaningfully more engaged than the people they lead. Now they’re barely staying ahead.

So the thing you’ve been quietly taking personally is more common than you think.

I think the job changed and nobody updated the job description. You were handed everyone’s anxiety and everyone’s uncertainty but the operational targets stayed exactly where they were.

Is that what you’re seeing where you are?

2 Actions to Take this Week

First, write down what you actually did each day, not what you meant to do. Most leaders I work with are surprised by the gap. It’s hard to ask for what you need until you can name what’s eating the time.

Second, if you want a clearer strategy for talking to your direct reports, register for our free webinar on August 26, “The 3 Conversations That Separate ​Leaders Who Develop People ​From Leaders Who Just Manage Them.” You’ll learn how to help move your direct reports to doing their own work. And you’ll start to identify whether you are really falling short…or if that’s just a crippling belief.