In companies around the world, high performers are being fast-tracked into management roles without proper preparation. The result is a quiet but costly crisis. New managers are struggling to lead. Teams are disengaging. And the ripple effects are showing up in missed targets, increased turnover, and a drop in workplace morale.
Ilia Jakel, an expert in emotional intelligence and leadership development, has seen this story unfold countless times. A top individual contributor gets promoted based on performance, but without the skills or support to lead people effectively. Instead of empowering a team, they unintentionally create confusion, tension, and breakdowns in communication.
“Being good at your job doesn’t mean you’re ready to lead others doing it,” Jakel says. “We keep rewarding execution with promotion, but leadership requires a completely different skill set.”
Through her training programs and executive coaching, Jakel helps organizations rethink how they prepare new managers — not just with systems or checklists, but with mindset, emotional awareness, and communication tools that shape lasting leadership success.
High Performers Are Not Automatically High-Potential Leaders
One of the biggest mistakes Jakel sees is the assumption that technical excellence equals leadership readiness. A top sales rep becomes a sales manager. A brilliant analyst becomes the head of a team. But what gets overlooked is whether that person knows how to coach, communicate, and inspire others.
“The qualities that make someone a great individual contributor are often different from what makes someone a great leader,” she explains. “You’re no longer judged by what you do, but by how well your team performs and how you make people feel.”
Jakel’s approach begins with foundational emotional intelligence. She trains new managers to recognize their blind spots, understand how they’re perceived, and learn to manage their own emotions before managing others. Without this awareness, new managers often fall into micromanagement, emotional reactivity, or avoidance — all of which erode trust and engagement.
The cost of this mismatch can be significant. Jakel notes that teams led by untrained managers are more likely to underperform, experience internal conflict, and lose top talent. In contrast, when companies invest in leadership training early, they see stronger collaboration, higher retention, and faster ramp-up periods for new managers.
Emotional Intelligence is the Missing Link in Manager Success
Jakel believes the root of most management failures is not a lack of tactical skill. It is a lack of emotional intelligence. “Managing people is about managing energy, emotions, and relationships,” she says. “You need to know how to de-escalate conflict, give feedback that builds trust, and create an environment where people feel seen.”
She teaches new managers how to lead with clarity, empathy, and intention. Her workshops include real-world case studies, guided self-reflection, and interactive scenarios that simulate high-stakes conversations. Participants leave with not just knowledge, but usable tools to navigate the messy reality of team leadership.
Jakel’s programs also emphasize self-leadership. “If a manager can’t regulate themselves, they’ll struggle to guide others,” she explains. “Leadership starts with emotional control, awareness, and the ability to model the behavior you expect.”
This emotionally intelligent leadership style doesn’t just help new managers succeed. It also reduces stress and burnout, both for the leader and their team. When communication improves, when expectations are clear, and when psychological safety is established, performance naturally follows.
Untrained Managers Are Quietly Eroding Your Culture
Jakel warns that the impact of underprepared managers is not always immediate, but it is always real. Over time, their lack of training leads to disengaged employees, misalignment across teams, and cultures driven by confusion rather than clarity.
“The scariest part is not what happens visibly,” she says. “It’s what happens silently. People stop giving feedback. They stop innovating. They stop caring.”
She encourages organizations to view training as a proactive investment, not a reactive fix. Waiting until a manager is already struggling to offer support is often too late. Instead, she recommends building leadership development into the promotion process, ensuring that rising leaders are trained before they are handed responsibility.
Jakel works with companies to build onboarding systems for new managers that include not just operational knowledge but mindset development and communication training. These leaders go on to become trusted bridges between executive vision and team execution, rather than barriers.
Her message to executives is clear: training your managers is not optional. It is the difference between growing leaders and creating liabilities.
Conclusion: Prepare Your Leaders Before You Promote Them
Ilia Jakel is raising awareness around a growing gap in modern organizations. The new manager crisis is not about people failing. It is about systems failing them.
Her work highlights the urgent need for leadership development that starts before someone steps into a people management role. By equipping new managers with emotional intelligence, communication tools, and self-leadership skills, companies set them — and their teams — up for success.
Because in today’s workplace, promoting without preparing is not a shortcut. It is a setback. And the leaders of tomorrow deserve better than being thrown in without a compass.
Jakel’s mission is simple but urgent: build leaders before they lead others. The future of your culture depends on it.
