“Good managers should just know how to manage people.”
I saw this comment yesterday and it’s been rattling around my head ever since.
Because here’s what I see every week in my work with small business owners: A brilliant entrepreneur who’s built a successful business from scratch, employing 8 people… who’s never actually managed anyone before.
They went from sole trader to employer without a handbook, a mentor, or a clue what “performance management” actually means beyond the occasional awkward conversation.
They didn’t climb a corporate ladder. They built their own ladder. And now they’re expected to intrinsically know how to:
Give feedback that lands without crushing confidence
Have difficult conversations without lying awake at 3am
Balance being ‘the boss’ with being human
Navigate the messy reality of managing people who aren’t motivated by the same things they are
Management isn’t instinct. It’s a skill. And like any skill, it needs to be learned.
That’s why the leadership training we deliver doesn’t look like corporate programmes. No trust falls. No abstract theory about “servant leadership.”
It’s practical. It’s about the real conversations small business owners are avoiding right now. The employee who’s great at their job but terrible with clients. The person who’s been there from the beginning but isn’t growing with the business. The team member who takes everything personally.
Good managers aren’t born. They’re supported, trained, and given permission to get it wrong sometimes.
If you’re a small business owner who never got the management training everyone assumed you’d already had - you’re not alone. And you’re definitely not bad at this because you weren’t born knowing it.
You just need the right support. The kind that gets what you’re actually dealing with.
If you're ready to get your HR foundations right without the full-time hire, let's talk. The People Consultancy provides strategic HR support at a fraction of the cost of employing an in-house professional—so you can protect your business, support your people, and focus on growth.
