Skills That Stick: From Good Managers to Great Teams

BY Stephanie Reed | September 05, 2025

When managers check out, so do their teams. A recent Gallup’s survey found employee engagement fell to 21% in 2025, down from 23%, as manager engagement slipped from 30% to 27%.

Meanwhile, effective managers create engaged teams that build skills, boost productivity, and show up more consistently. Comprehensive training programs can raise manager well-being, cutting disengagement down and driving stronger performance.

During a thought leadership spotlight at From Day One’s August virtual conference, Priscila Bala, CEO of LifeLabs Learning shared research and tools behind turning good managers into great teams through skills-based, people-centered learning. 

Fostering a skill-resilient workplace means encouraging continuous skill development, focusing on practical behaviors rather than abstract theories to make learning stick, and using a skills taxonomy to provide visibility, a common language, and consistent assessment across the organization, says Bala.

“First, we know that now there’s a big market shift towards prioritizing skills over degrees or tenure,” said Bala. “Whether it is to the latest software and technology or to ensuring that you can then apply all of these people skills to a next level of execution is going to be ever more critical.”

This process involves identifying high-leverage skills and turning them into lasting behaviors. LifeLabs Learning, known for its leadership training, supports managers through monthly workshops where ideas and behaviors are shared, then reinforced as teams practice them together in a collaborative setting.

Priscila Bala, CEO of LifeLabs Learning, led the thought leadership spotlight (company photo)

Workplace learning becomes a shared experience, where managers apply their skills while teams build on that knowledge and uncover their own strengths. Bala emphasizes Tipping Point Skills, such as time management, adaptability, and conflict resolution, that drive productivity and profitability. Training programs blend theory with practice, ensuring these behaviors become second nature.

“It’s one thing for me to simulate, in the peace, quiet, and safety of my private space, and it is another to actually be able to perform and support in a space that is communal and social,” Bala said. 

Lastly, a well-defined skills taxonomy helps managers give effective, constructive feedback by linking the skill being developed to a concrete business outcome, such as launching a new campaign or shortening sales cycles. Improving communication by avoiding vague words, and instead, using observable examples further reinforces pragmatic learning.

What aids in making these in-demand skills stick is connecting to behavior and habits that prevent workers from slipping back into old practices. LifeLabs has over 100 behavioral and support tools, says Bala. It offers custom workshops, one-on-one program consulting, and a user-friendly platform that applies cognitive psychology, organizational design, and behavioral economics to practical program management.

What Skills Matter, and Why?  

In 2024, 50% of the workforce completed training, reskilling, or upskilling as part of L&D initiatives compared to 41% in 2023. Continuous learning is in increasing demand, reports the World Economic Forum.

Technical skills in AI and other newer technologies continue to rise in demand in the modern workforce. “The reality is that, while I wholeheartedly believe that it’s not necessary that AI is going to take people's jobs away, people with AI [skills and knowledge] will take people’s jobs away,” Bala said. “And I think that the ability to really use all of these tools effectively is really going to differentiate.”

Soft skills like communication, teamwork, and emotional intelligence are transferable between jobs and industries, and will also continue to be in demand. 

Without a doubt, managers have their work cut out for them. Many feel under-resourced and uncertain about how to give constructive feedback during training, reskilling, or upskilling. Yet as Bala observes, managers are multipliers—role models who guide their teams through inevitable workplace changes. Supporting them with a communal learning environment ensures both managers and their teams are equipped to achieve business objectives.

Editor's note: From Day One thanks our partner, LifeLabs Learning, for sponsoring this thought leadership spotlight. 

Stephanie Reed is a freelance news, marketing, and content writer. Much of her work features small business owners throughout diverse industries. She is passionate about promoting small, ethical, and eco-conscious businesses.

(Photo by Vadym Pastukh/iStock)

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After five months of interviews, Shveta Miglani, Ph.D., was all-in for her new dream job. She moved her entire family to a new city, where she began working for “one of the best companies in the world” and immediately felt otherwise. “Within the first two weeks, [I was] thinking, ‘Oh my goodness, what did I do? What did I sign up for?” she said during a fireside chat at From Day One’s August virtual conference. She began questioning herself, thinking she was the problem. But she later came to understand she was not alone. As an organizational designer and people manager, she has seen firsthand how companies struggle to onboard new employees, provide helpful feedback, and offer opportunities for growth.   Periods of transition in organizations can test even the strongest cultures, especially for employees stepping into new roles or adapting to change. Miglani’s new book, Navigate Your Career: Strategies for Success in New Roles and Promotions, is rooted in her Ph.D. research uncovering why certain employees succeed when transitioning in an organization, while others in the same role do not. She shares how leaders can build supportive environments that help employees succeed from day one through year one and beyond.Creating a Successful Onboarding ProcessNew talent generally comes from one of two pools: recent college graduates or mid-to-senior-level professionals transitioning over from other organizations. Most leaders, Miglani says, are competent in giving new hires a general overview of company culture, but struggle when it comes to offering more personalized insight. “We miss a chance to help these folks: to say, ‘Here are some additional tips that you can work on and create your own map of success,’” she said. New employees should approach their role with a strong understanding of how to best utilize their time. Miglani realizes this is where the problem with her dream job was: “I was in an organization where I was unable to find myself, and a lot of it had to do [with the fact that] I waited for the organization to tell me, rather than taking more responsibility for my role,” she said. In contrast, when she worked at Salesforce, she was immediately given opportunities that allowed her to prioritize better. “They knew how important it is to volunteer and to create networking opportunities,” she said, so the company offered a full-day session that allowed employees to connect with each other, engage with the organization, and serve their wider community in the process. That is not to say that employees should rely on their leaders alone to provide step-by-step guidance. “In my experience at a large organization, folks would come to me as a manager and say, ‘What are the elders on the top floor thinking about planning for me?’ Well, I said, ‘They’re not. They have other issues. You really need to be an agent in your own career,’” said moderator Steve Koepp, co-founder and editor in chief at From Day One. “I think companies should remind people that it’s not being uppity to be asking about what you could do next.” This tone can be set right during the onboarding process, ultimately encouraging ambition, creating an environment of psychological safety where employees can ask questions, and reminding them that their career is ultimately what they make of it.  Many organizations prioritize the first 100 days as a measure of success, wherein HR leaders feel pressured to justify their new hire. “I would caution teams, especially HR leaders, to not do that,” Miglani said. “I learned through my research [that] companies like Amazon tell their team members, new hires, or newly promoted people, ‘You have a year to prove yourself,’ which I think is amazing, because then they’re saying, ‘It’s not short-term goals. We want you here for the long term, which means investing in that one year with you is important for us.’” Giving employees time to make an impact and encouraging their growth can foster a sense of belonging. Modern employees crave engagement with company culture. “Try to create programs or opportunities where peers get a chance to welcome their new hire or their new manager,” Miglani said. This is especially important for employees in a remote or hybrid environment, for whom these opportunities might not pop up organically.Providing Actionable FeedbackGiving feedback can feel awkward for managers and intimidating for employees, but it’s essential for smooth transitions and a growth-oriented culture. Miglani encourages employees to proactively ask for feedback when it’s not offered, to avoid misdirected development. She recalls an employee who completed a six-month communication course, only to learn afterward that their manager thought they were already strong in communication and should have focused on negotiation skills instead.Shveta Miglani shared insights from her new book, Navigate Your Career during the fireside chat (photo by From Day One)Structured, accessible feedback can help curtail problems before they get out of hand. “A good example [is] a car. You wouldn’t know what’s wrong in the car if you didn’t have a dashboard, if you didn’t have an indication that your fuel is running low or you need to do this, so that helps you to take actions,” Miglani said. “Similarly, an organization can provide better tools to leaders and employees to help them gauge and align themselves to the big goal.” Creating a structure for upskilling is one way employers can help keep their teams nimble in an ever-evolving market – especially since the goal should be to retain them for internal growth. “Why? Because they have tribal knowledge. They understand the company culture. And if you go out to hire people, it’ll actually cost you the same or more in many cases. So, it’s better to hold on to the talent you have,” Miglani said.Sharing data with leaders, such as career-mapping and skills gap studies, can help encourage CEO buy-in. Employers might consider investing in AI tools that can gather and measure this data and even contribute to succession planning strategies. Part of Miglani’s research involved studying how different groups in the animal kingdom assimilate new members into their groups. The best example? Meerkats.“One of the coolest things they do is job shadowing. They have [younger meerkats] follow the older meerkats, and they see how they hunt, how they protect themselves,” Miglani said. Meerkats also take turns looking out for each other, giving each other opportunities to rest, care for babies, and grow older. 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Building Agility Through Skills-Based Learning and Development

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That’s what supports internal mobility, and that also helps talent align to business needs,” he said during an executive panel discussion at From Day One’s August virtual conference. This skills-first mindset is especially critical as new technologies, particularly AI, reshape work faster than job descriptions can keep up. For White, success comes from creating clarity before adding tools: map existing skills, identify gaps, and align development to strategy. The goal is to build for relevance, not readiness, ensuring employees stay adaptable no matter how roles evolve.Data-Driven UpskillingFor Sukhmani Grewal, solutions architect at SHL, building organizational agility begins with evidence. “We are an organization that believes in objective assessment data. We drink our own champagne—using data to understand not only individual skills, strengths, and gaps, but also patterns across the organization,” she said. That philosophy is embedded in practice. 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