Consequently, these managers aren’t fully equipped to do their jobs, let alone do them exceptionally well, says Bev Kaye, founder and CEO of employee development, engagement, and retention consultancy BevKaye&Co and author of Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go and multiple other books on employee management.

Formal training can help turn this around, Kaye says. Attention from the managers’ own managers can help, too, by coaching their direct reports on how to engage teams, communicate with staffers, and be more inspiring leaders. This mentoring from senior-level pros provides instructive guidance and it models behaviors that can help managers excel.

So can providing learning experiences and opportunities — such as taking on managerial work on a temporary basis, such as during vacations — before stepping into permanent full-time manager roles, adds Phelps.