What the Science Says About Becoming a Great Manager

Managing people is a complex and complicated job. It’s emotional, mental, strategic, and deeply human work. It’s also more difficult than it’s ever been.

Between rising uncertainty, rapid change, and shrinking engagement across the workforce, managers are under pressure and often feeling it. Gallup’s latest global data paints a stark picture: fewer than 20% of employees say they’re thriving at work. And for managers, the research shows the largest drop in engagement in years.

But there’s hope, and it’s grounded in science.

Margaret Moore and Jeffrey Hull, co-authors of The Science of Leadership: Nine Ways to Expand Your Impact, have spent their careers helping leaders bridge the gap between research and reality. Their work combines decades of coaching, along with an in depth review of the research on psychology and leadership development. It offers something many managers don’t even realize they’re missing: a comprehensive, science-based framework for leading well.

The Reality of Modern Management

Most managers don’t wake up thinking, “Today I’m going to lead with agility and compassion.” They’re moving from one meeting to the next, trying to support their team while staying afloat themselves. But according to Margaret and Jeffrey, that’s exactly why we need a more intentional approach to leadership.

Margaret emphatically explains that we have more resources than we realize, but we don’t always know how to access them.

This isn’t about learning new management techniques. Instead, it’s time to access ways of thinking and being that are already within us, and developing them with awareness.

Leadership is Layered: Self, Others, and Systems

One of the most useful insights from their research is that leadership doesn’t live in one place. It spans three interconnected layers: how we lead ourselves, how we relate to others, and how we navigate and manage systems.

At the first level is the inner game: How do you show up for yourself? That means noticing how you’re feeling before entering a conversation. It means knowing when you’re stuck in your own head or driven by stress. And it means having the agility to switch mindsets when the moment calls for it.

For example, one moment you might be troubleshooting a small issue with a direct report, and the next, you’re expected to present a strategy to senior leadership. Making that mental leap is no small task, but it’s trainable.

As Margaret explains, To be mentally agile, you must be able to move between the weeds and the big picture, between emotional intensity and strategic distance. It takes energy and intention to do so.

Then comes the interpersonal layer: How do you lead in a relationship with others? This is where qualities like empathy, positivity, and real connection come in. Jeffrey describes one leader he worked with who started every day with a short team huddle. This was not time to review tasks, but to ask simple, human questions: “How are you? What would make today a good day?”

It seems small, but those moments of care and reflection change how teams feel, and how they perform.

And finally, there’s the outermost layer: How do you influence the broader system? As managers grow in their role, it becomes less about what they do directly and more about how they empower others. This is where leadership shifts from operational to transformational—from telling people what to do to creating an environment where great work can happen without micromanagement.

Building Agility in a Fast-Paced World

Too often we think of agility as being fast on your feet, but really, Jeffrey notes, it’s about being able to shift. Between roles. Between emotions. Between perspectives.

For most managers, this shift happens dozens of times a day. The challenge Jeffrey points out is that we rarely take time to reset.

To develop greater agility, Jeffrey recommends building in buffer zones. That might be five minutes between meetings to breathe, take a walk, or even just reflect. These micro-pauses allow your brain to switch modes instead of carrying stress from one conversation into the next.

Margaret adds that mental agility also involves learning to toggle between different kinds of thinking—analytical, strategic, emotional, and creative. A brief pause allows us the opportunity to decide which mindset we need for the task at hand.

Why Positivity Matters to Being a Great Manager

Positivity is often dismissed as fluffy or soft, but science tells a different story. When we experience positive emotions, our nervous system shifts from stress mode into what researchers call “rest and restore.” It’s a state where we think more clearly, solve problems better, and connect more authentically.

Margaret encourages managers to look for ways to bring that positive energy into their daily leadership. She goes on to say that we’re meant to experience little pleasures in life. If we’re constantly running hard, we miss opportunities to savor the good things. 

Even in challenging times, positivity creates resilience. The key is not to sugarcoat or ignore the hard stuff. Address the challenges and mistakes head on while celebrating what works. This helps us face reality with more strength.

Small Shifts Lead to Big Impact

We must first start by noticing and developing self awareness. Pay attention to how you move through your day. Are you reactive or intentional? Are you supporting others from a place of curiosity or control? Are you skipping the pause that would let you reset?

Effective management doesn’t require building an extensive set of new skills. It starts in micro-moments: the breath before you respond, the decision to listen instead of defend, the courage to ask for input instead of assuming you know best.

Want to build agility? Schedule five-minute buffers between meetings.Want to increase positivity? Begin each team check-in with a “win.”Want to expand your impact? Focus on how you show up, not just what you do.

The science proves what many of us already sense: the most effective managers aren’t perfect. They’re present. They’re human. And they’re committed to growing every day.

Listen to the entire episode HERE to learn more about the science-backed capabilities of effective managers.

Keep up with Margaret Moore and Jeffrey Hull

- Follow Margaret on LinkedIn here

- Follow Jeffrey on LinkedIn here

- Grab a copy of The Science of Leadership here

FREE Science of Leadership Assessment and Discussion Guide

Jeffrey and Margaret are providing members of Podcast+  an excerpt from The Science of Leadership that includes the nine capabilities assessment as well as a readiness to change assessment.

In addition, they’re giving members a discussion guide to easily explore the nine leadership capacities alone or with your team.

To get this bonus and many other member benefits, become a member of The Modern Manager Podcast+ Community.

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The Modern Manager is a leadership podcast for rockstar managers who want to create a working environment where people thrive, and great work gets done.

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