What The Celebrity Traitors Can Teach Us About Preparing New Managers
Richard E. Grant’s revealing moment on The Celebrity Traitors made memorable television. Watching an accomplished actor announce that he was a Traitor also brings a familiar workplace issue to mind: success in one role does not automatically prepare someone for another.
A television game is entertainment, and we cannot judge someone’s professional capability from an edited programme. But the situation offers a useful starting point for thinking about how employers prepare people for new responsibilities.
A promotion changes the job
Organisations often promote employees because they are excellent at what they do. That is understandable. Someone who delivers results, knows the business and earns colleagues’ respect may have strong potential.
Once they become a manager, however, their responsibilities change.
They may need to address poor performance, respond to a grievance, support someone returning from sickness absence or handle information they cannot share with the wider team.
Those situations require preparation and judgement. Knowing the technical work is only part of the role.
A briefing is a starting point
Handing someone a policy or explaining their responsibilities once does not tell you how they will respond when a difficult situation arises.
Practical preparation should give managers opportunities to:
Rehearse difficult conversations.
Understand what information must remain confidential.
Recognise when to seek HR advice.
Apply policies consistently.
Ask questions without feeling they should already know every answer.
Clear expectations also matter. Managers need to understand which decisions they can make and which require additional support.
Support should continue after the promotion
Training is most useful when managers can apply it and discuss what happens next.
Regular check-ins give them space to raise concerns early. Accessible HR advice helps them pause and plan before a hurried response creates a bigger problem.
A new manager who asks for guidance is taking responsibility. Employers should make that easier.
How The HFactor can help
Our team provides practical management training and HR support shaped around the situations your managers actually face—from everyday people decisions to difficult conversations and complex employee issues.
We can help you build a simple management framework, train your team to use it and provide advice when they need support.
Have you promoted capable employees who now need help managing people? Tell us what is happening through our website enquiry form. Your first consultation is free.
We support organisations in London and surrounding areas, with support elsewhere in England on request. Charities receive 30% off our standard fees.
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