A recent Wall Street Journal article outlines a global crisis: only 27% of managers reported feeling engaged in 2024-a steep 3-point drop from the year before. Young and female managers suffered even more severe declines. This erosion reflects high workloads, hybrid team complexity, digital transformation, and chronic lack of leadership training and mentoring (The Wall Street Journal).

Gallup estimates that globally, employee engagement fell from 23% to 21% in 2024 costing approximately $438 billion in lost productivity. Critically, manager engagement drives around 70% of team engagement, making them the linchpin of organizational health (Gallup.com).

Only 44% of managers worldwide report receiving any formal training in their leadership role-and most of that training is procedural rather than development-focused (The Wall Street Journal).

Flourishing Programs as the Catalyst for Manager Renewal

Our suite of Flourishing Programs-REWIRE, Pearl, and Management mastery provides a layered, science-based pathway to rebuild engagement, capacity, and purpose for middle managers.

1. REWIRE→ Adaptability, Emotional Resilience & Inner Grounding

• Burnout and emotional exhaustion feature prominently in Gallup’s findings, especially among managers juggling hybrid teams, AI tools, shifting priorities, and rising complexity (The Wall Street Journal).
• REWIRE builds emotional self-awareness, stress regulation, and mental clarity. Managers learn to identify triggers, manage energy, and reset expectations-helping them stay present and engaged even under pressure.

2. Pearl Model→ Positive leadership skills for Coaching, Connection, and Focus

• Gallup underscores that regular, meaningful conversations with direct reports significantly boost manager engagement-aligning them more clearly with purpose and impact (The Wall Street Journal).
• The Pearl program hones five core capacities:
  • Purpose: Clarifying why their work matters.
  • Energy: Positive communication skill including how to have constructive conflicts to build positive spirals of energy
  • Relational: Building empathetic, motivating high quality relationships
  • Adaptability: Navigating ambiguity with curiosity.
  • Lifeforce: Making stress an ally and working in neuro friendly ways

These skills enable managers to coach their teams effectively and anchor their own meaning-even when demands shift rapidly.

3. Management mastery

• Middle managers are rarely equipped for their roles—globally, less than 44% receive any formal leadership training. A survey by HRD Connect found that only 37% of middle managers receive any training upon promotion, and 74% report never receiving ongoing development. This absence of support leaves many unprepared for pivotal leadership responsibilities, undermining both their effectiveness and team performance.
• Management mastery teaches core technical skills to upskill middle managers on Managing work, Creative and analytical problem solving, Managing others, Effective communications and engagement and Opportunity identification 

What Flourishing Programs Deliver for Organizations

Why Now?

• Engagement declines of more than 2–3 percentage points are extremely rare in Gallup’s data-and this one coincides with seismic changes in work structure, tech transformation, and workplace expectations (Gallup.com, The Wall Street Journal, Inclusion Geeks).
• Managers are overwhelmed, often lacking clarity, development, and a sense of impact. Without interventions, significant talent, performance, and well-being risks will persist.
• Investing in manager flourishing-not just managerial skill training-creates lasting results: energized leaders, aligned teams, and a culture that powers growth.

Integrating Flourishing into Manager Development

• Launch a blended program: Start with REWIRE modules to build foundational resilience, then layer in Pearl’s coaching and leadership practices, supported by Management mastery bootcamp for technical execution skills 
• Embed growth rituals: Use weekly pulse check-ins, impact-sharing sessions (purpose narrative circles), and peer coaching triads to sustain momentum.
• Measure impact: Incorporate monthly pulse and feedback loops focused on expectations, recognition, development, clarity, and care-demonstrating tangible change over time.

Final Thought

Middle manager disengagement is no isolated issue-it’s at the center of organizational dysfunction. Middle managers hold disproportionate influence over culture, engagement, and productivity, yet they are under-served and over-stretched. Rather than eliminate your middle layer, invest in it as they are critical towards organizations flourishing. Remember, when middle managers flourish, whole organizations flourish too.   Learn more about Ashish on Linkedin.

Access and subscribe to all of the episodes of the Happiness Squad Podcast here.

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