HR Works: The Podcast for Human Resources HR Works Podcast: Making A Manager Pt. 1
Jan 13, 2026
LeAnne Legasse, SHRM-SCP and HR consultant focused on communication-driven leadership. Megan Leasher, organizational psychologist who helps people and orgs thrive through disruption. Ricky Brown, CEO and former pilot who applies aviation lessons to leader self-awareness. They discuss why self-awareness and interpersonal skills matter, how to prepare people before promotion, spotting managerial potential, and tools HR can use to elevate leaders.
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Promotion Isn’t Development
- Organizations often promote high performers into management and then ignore their ongoing development.
- That gap creates subpar managers because leadership requires different competencies than individual contributor work.
Preview Leadership Before Promotion
- Give prospective managers a realistic preview of leadership before promotion so they can self-select.
- Explain both the rewards and the hard parts so candidates choose roles that fit them.
Blind Spots And The Cost Of Staying Same
- Subpar managers are often the last to know about their own issues because blind spots persist.
- Organizations tolerate poor managers when the perceived cost of change exceeds the cost of staying the same.