Why Managers Aren't Happy At Work (and how to fix it)

No one wants to be a manager. At least, that’s what recent headlines suggest. From post-pandemic job reshuffling to the rise of AI, the role of manager has become one of the most stressful, isolating, and misunderstood jobs in today’s workplace. But as an experienced culture coach who often coaches managers, there's far more to it.

As a culture coach who has supported managers and teams across industries, I believe the problem runs deeper than workplace “disruptions.” In this video, I’ll break down:

👉 Why managers are burning out (role overload, lack of power, and isolation)

👉 The hidden frustrations of being “stuck in the middle”

👉 Why so many people never wanted to manage others in the first place

👉 Practical, people-first alternatives to the traditional manager role

We’ll explore how self-managing practices—like distributing decision-making, clarifying roles, co-creating goals, and rethinking career paths—can transform the experience of work for managers and teams alike.

🔗 Sources mentioned:

Wall Street Journal – Why So Many Managers Are Disengaged at Work

https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/careers/managers-engagement-work-e50f8f5e

Yahoo – Why Young Workers Don’t Want to Be Managers

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/young-millennial-shared-why-no-141206301.html

💡 If you found this helpful, don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share—and let me know in the comments: What do you think needs to change about management roles today?

⌚️TIME STAMPS ⌚️

0:00 Intro

0:46 The Real Challenges Managers Face

01:11 Role Overload

02:08 No Real Power

03:18 Isolation

04:14 Don't Want to Manage People

05:00 How Do We Fit It?

05:15 Distribute Decision-making Power

06:11 Clarify & Distribute Roles

06:42 Co-creat Team Goals

07:50 Rethink Career Pathways

OTHER LINKS 🔗

https://libertymind.co.uk/

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WHO AM I? 🤓

Hi! - If you're new here, I'm Lizzie, a culture coach based in the UK. I help teams, start-ups and businesses create great places to work through alternative ways of working. Through my videos, my podcast and my blog I share practical ideas about how we can make work better. And share my experience as a founder, business owner and personal-development junkie.