On Thursday she was the best analyst on the team. On Sunday she is responsible for six people. Her promotion recognises her performance, but leading others requires preparation of its own.
That transition matters for workplace culture. New managers need practical support before they take responsibility for feedback, fairness and the development of their team. In KSA, building that support into promotion is an opportunity to turn business growth into lasting leadership capability
Why Preparation Matters in KSA
Vision 2030 sets a target of increasing the private sector’s contribution to GDP from a 40% baseline to 65% by 2030.[1] As organisations expand, preparing people to lead should be part of how they plan for growth.
The challenge is also visible in international research. A January 2023 Gartner survey of nearly 3,200 managers found that 40% of those with two years or less of experience struggled to support their teams.[2] This is a dated research finding, not a KSA-specific estimate, but it highlights why a promotion should come with structured preparation.
The opportunity is to support new managers while they are forming their habits, before uncertainty becomes the team’s everyday experience
Look for evidence of leadership readiness
Strong individual performance is a useful starting point for promotion. It should sit alongside evidence that someone can help other people succeed.
Consider an illustrative sales scenario: a newly promoted manager keeps taking over difficult client calls and rewriting every proposal. Deals move forward, but colleagues get fewer opportunities to develop their judgement. A more useful intervention is to review the proposal together, rehearse the conversation and let the salesperson lead it, with support available.
Before promoting, ask whether the candidate has coached a colleague, handled difficult feedback constructively or helped the team resolve a problem. After promotion, review their workload so that coaching and delegation have space in the working week.
The decisions that shape the first week
A new manager’s early decisions give employees practical signals about how the team will work: who gets development opportunities, how mistakes are handled and whether concerns can be raised openly.
Imagine a first-time manager facing two similar missed deadlines. Without clear guidance, they might overlook one and respond sharply to the other. Even when circumstances differ, unexplained decisions can feel unfair. A shared approach to discussing expectations, understanding the cause and agreeing support helps the manager act consistently.
These everyday conversations are where employees experience the organisation’s values. Preparing managers for them makes those values easier to put into practice.
Four practical ways to support new managers
- Start preparation before promotion
Introduce the transition while someone is still an individual contributor, then continue support through their first months. Start with a rehearsal of the first team conversation, guidance on feedback and a named person to call. Let the new manager practise a difficult conversation before they have to manage one alone. - Clarify decision authority
Set out what the manager can decide, where they should seek advice and what must be escalated. Cover spending, leave, hiring input and performance concerns. For example, a manager should know when to involve HR and how to agree clear expectations and follow-up with an employee. Practical guidance reduces hesitation and helps teams receive consistent treatment. - Create a regular peer group
Give first-time managers a monthly space to discuss anonymised challenges and practise responses with peers. For example, one manager could bring a delegation problem and leave with a conversation to try before the next meeting. Use a facilitator and clear confidentiality boundaries, with an escalation route for sensitive issues. Review whether participants apply what they learn and become more confident; do not assume attendance alone proves progress. - Listen to the team early
Alongside delivery, ask whether employees understand expectations, receive useful feedback and feel able to raise concerns. A short check-in during the first months can identify where the manager needs support. Discuss findings constructively and protect confidentiality, especially in small teams. Silence should prompt curiosity rather than be treated as evidence that everything is working.
A regional example of structured support
Emirates NBD offers a documented GCC example. In its 2025 ESG Report, the Group states that all people managers participate in training on coaching, feedback and challenging conversations as part of its leadership development pathway. It also describes mentorship and internal coaching programmes supporting senior leaders and emerging talent.[3]
For organisations in KSA, the useful lesson is to make these everyday leadership skills part of a defined development pathway. A smaller organisation can begin with a practical guide, regular peer sessions and access to an experienced adviser, then assess what is helping its managers and teams.
Make the first week a supported transition
A promotion should recognise achievement and prepare someone for a different responsibility. The first week is a useful place to start: clear expectations, room to ask questions and practical help with the conversations that matter.
For the analyst walking in on Sunday, that support could mean knowing how to run her first team meeting, what she can decide and who will help her handle an unfamiliar situation. For her team, it means a manager who is better prepared to listen, guide and act fairly.
The next promotion is an opportunity to make that preparation part of the job.
Start with the employee experience
For HR teams reviewing their approach, begin by asking employees where leadership support is working and where it is inconsistent. At Great Place To Work®, we encourage organisations to use that feedback to choose a small number of practical improvements and revisit them with their managers and teams.
Sources
- [1] Economic Cities and Special Zones Authority. Vision 2030: private sector contribution to GDP target. Accessed 9 September 2026.
- [2] Gartner. Three Steps to Support First Time Managers. 23 October 2023; January 2023 survey of nearly 3,200 managers.
- [3] Emirates NBD Group. ESG Report 2025, “Feedback and coaching,” printed page 132.
