Promotions into management roles are often earned due to an individual contributor’s technical expertise and reliability. It is often assumed that “nice” people will make good managers simply because people like them. But without proper training and guidance many managers, whether new or experienced, find themselves stuck, frustrated, and unsure why they are unable to get the results, recognition or advancement they want despite their qualifications and hard work.
So, what are these dedicated, technically proficient managers missing?
There’s a good chance they are lacking the communication skills they need to navigate effectively up, down, and across their organizations. Perhaps they manage up to their management well but do not connect as well with their direct reports or their peers in other departments.
These issues are far more common than we might think.
When Technical Competence Isn’t Enough
Mid-level managers sit at a challenging intersection. They are expected to execute directions from their management, then motivate their team and collaborate laterally across departments to execute those directions. It’s a role that demands negotiating and influencing skills, flexibility, and in most environments, political savvy, and yet, many managers are not trained in the communication skills needed to operate effectively in these contexts.
They’ve been trained to do, but not necessarily to connect. And when connections are uncertain or weak they can break down, causing confusion, error, and delay.
The High Cost of Poor Communication
Communication breakdowns aren’t always immediately apparent. They become evident over time as productivity declines:
- A team feels confused or disengaged and unconsciously slows down
- A peer relationship is strained by misunderstanding or misalignment, so calls and emails go unanswered
- A leader is frustrated that their feedback to a manager hasn’t been implemented causing the manager to appear unresponsive
- The manager who once seemed promising gradually becomes perceived as disorganized, reactive, or overwhelmed
Over time, these missteps erode trust and credibility. And because they’re interpersonal rather than tactical, they often go unaddressed until something blows up.
That’s why it’s better to get in front of these performance blind spots before something happens that’s hard to fix. And that’s where coaching comes in.
Coaching: A Mirror for the Invisible
Unlike technical training, executive coaching shines a light on how managers show up in conversations, meetings, and moments of tension. It helps reveal unconscious patterns, habitual responses, and assumptions that are getting in the way of effective leadership communication.
Here’s how coaching helps mid-level managers address their communication blind spots:
- Uncovering Communication Patterns
Many managers don’t realize how much their communication style is influenced by their personality, their past, or even by stress triggers. Coaching helps bring these patterns to the surface, creating new awareness—and with it, chosen responses rather than reactions.
- Developing Adaptive Communication
One size doesn’t fit all. Coaching teaches managers how to adapt their style to different audiences—whether they’re speaking to senior executives, direct reports, or cross-functional peers. This flexibility transforms a functional manager into a credible leader.
- Building Emotional Intelligence
Great communication isn’t just about what you say—it’s how you listen, how you respond, and how you manage your presence in high-stakes moments. Coaching helps develop the emotional intelligence that underpins clear, confident, and compassionate communication, which builds positive, productive connections.
- Reinforcing Accountability
It’s one thing to have the intention to change a behavior and it’s another thing to change it. Coaching provides accountability over time, supporting managers as they practice new approaches until they become habits.
From Manager to Leader: Bridging the Gap
Most stalled careers don’t suffer from a lack of ambition—they suffer from a lack of awareness. Without the time or tools to reflect, managers often stay stuck in their blind spots, unaware that their communication habits are compromising their leadership potential.
Coaching bridges this gap. It helps managers move from transmitting information to cultivating alignment. From reacting to responding. From telling to inspiring.
It’s not just about saying the right thing.
It’s about becoming the kind of leader people want to listen to.