Why Your Emerging Leaders are Failing (and What to Do About It)

High-growth companies often struggle with a hidden problem: their emerging leaders aren’t getting the support they need to thrive. When your business is moving fast, leadership development is often an afterthought—until you feel the pain of turnover, low morale, or stagnant team performance. But here’s the thing: failing to support your leaders early on is setting them, and your business, up to fail.

Let’s dive into why this happens and what you can do to fix it.

The Startup Myth: Everyone’s a Leader, Right?

In the beginning, startups operate with a flat hierarchy. There are few people, and everyone wears a thousand hats. Leadership, in the traditional sense, doesn’t exist. Instead, everyone is focused on survival—on getting the product out, growing the customer base, and keeping the lights on. You might hear, “We don’t have time for leadership development. We’re all leaders here!”

But as the company grows, the cracks start to show. Hierarchies form, whether you plan for them or not, and suddenly, you’re faced with a new challenge: the people who were great at wearing multiple hats now have to lead teams. And here’s the kicker—they’ve never done it before.

The “Sink or Swim” Trap

When companies scale, they often fall into the “sink or swim” mindset. They assume that because someone was good at their job, they’ll naturally be good at leading others. This assumption is dangerous and expensive.

Think about it. You wouldn’t send someone into a high-stakes client meeting without preparation. So why send a new leader into a management role without giving them the tools to succeed? It’s like handing them a map with no directions and saying, “Good luck.”

And that’s what happens—people either figure it out on their own (sometimes at the expense of their teams), or they fail. When they fail, your business fails, too.

What Emerging Leaders Really Need

So, how do you avoid the sink-or-swim trap? It starts by providing intentional support to your emerging leaders. Here are five practical ways to get started:

1. Tailored Leadership Training

- Don’t make the mistake of giving everyone the same cookie-cutter leadership training. Instead, consider the level of seniority and specific challenges each leader faces. A first-time manager leading a small team will need different guidance than a VP managing multiple departments.

2. Peer Support Groups

- Create a space where new leaders can learn from each other. Peer groups allow them to share challenges, exchange ideas, and get feedback. Leadership doesn’t have to be a lonely path.

3. Shadowing and Mentorship

- Give emerging leaders a chance to shadow experienced leaders in your company. Let them see how decisions are made, how tough conversations are handled, and how to steer a team through conflict.

4. Leadership Coaching

- Formal coaching can be transformative. A leadership coach can help new managers understand their strengths, blind spots, and how to lead authentically. Coaching isn’t a luxury—it’s an investment in your company’s future.

5. Clear Accountability Structures

- New leaders need to know what success looks like. Create clear goals and performance metrics so they understand how they’re being evaluated and where they can improve.

Invest in Leaders or Pay the Price

If you’re thinking, “We don’t have the budget for this,” ask yourself how much turnover is costing you. Losing a talented manager can set a team back months and bleed resources as you scramble to hire and onboard someone new. And the cycle repeats itself unless you fix the root cause: under-prepared leaders.

Consider the impact of supporting your emerging leaders:

- Teams perform better.

- Leaders feel more confident and engaged.

- Your business grows more sustainably.

You either invest in your leaders now, or you pay the price later when they “sink.”

Final Thought: Leadership Is a Team Sport

Part of leading a business is preparing others to lead. It’s not about turning everyone into carbon-copy managers. It’s about empowering them to lead in a way that aligns with your company’s vision and values. If you give your leaders the support they need, they won’t just survive—they’ll thrive. And so will your business.

Stop setting your leaders up to fail. Give them the tools, support, and space to become the leaders your company needs. The payoff will be worth it.