By Joseph Ballantine, ILM Product Manager
Every business has a strategy. The real challenge lies in ensuring that those on the front lines can turn that vision into reality.
Even the most well-crafted strategies can falter when there’s a disconnect between strategic goals and day-to-day execution. The critical link? Team leaders. Successful businesses rely on skilled team leaders who can translate strategy into action, enabling companies to meet their goals and thrive. Here’s how investing in your team leaders can bridge the gap between strategy and execution.
Why are skilled team leaders important?
Skilled team leaders can make or break your strategy. They build trust, align individual goals with organisational objectives, and establish motivated, engaged teams. By balancing strategic priorities with operational demands, improve employee engagement, increase productivity and influence employee retention. However, without proper training, coaching and support many leaders struggle to align their teams with broader business priorities and may fall into the trap of repeating past mistakes by over focusing on the BAU. There’s no execution without strategy—and no strategy without skilled team leaders.
Improving Employee Engagement
Employee engagement goes beyond job satisfaction or measurable metrics on a page. It's about emotional connection. As Forbes defines it, engagement is “the emotional commitment the employee has to the organisation and its goals.”
Research from Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development supports this, showing that the quality of workplace relationships and managerial support significantly influences engagement. This includes job satisfaction, enthusiasm, effort, and the likelihood of staying with an organisation. Alarmingly, the data reveals that around 15% of employees feel lonely, miserable, or bored at work, while nearly 20% report feeling exhausted or under excessive pressure [1].
Engaged employees are more motivated, adaptable, and creative. They bring energy and initiative to their roles, helping businesses stay competitive and seize new opportunities.
Skilled team leaders cultivate this engagement by:
- Promoting open communication - encouraging transparency, active listening, and feedback to build trust and connection.
- Recognising contributions regularly - boosting morale and motivation through timely, meaningful appreciation.
- Offering career development opportunities - providing training, mentorship, and clear growth paths to demonstrate long-term investment in employees.
Increasing Productivity
Productivity thrives under strong, effective leadership. At its core, productivity is driven by connection, clarity and a supportive environment. When employees understand the direction of travel and how they fit in that journey, feel empowered to make decisions, and know their leaders support them, they’re far more likely to perform at their best.
With the right training, team leaders can streamline processes, boost efficiency, and enhance overall performance. A McKinsey study found that effective leadership can increase productivity by 20–25% [2], clearly demonstrating the powerful link between leadership and business performance.
Great leaders help unlock productivity by:
- Setting clear expectations - defining goals and priorities helps employees stay focused, reduce confusion, and allocate their time effectively.
- Promoting autonomy and trust - empowering employees to take ownership and make decisions enhancing confidence, motivation, and initiative.
- Encouraging a supportive culture - demonstrating empathy, emotional intelligence, and active listening builds a psychologically safe workplace that encourages collaboration and resilience.
- Providing the right framework - setting up avenues and opportunities for employees to connect with each other, developing connection and peer to peer support.
Influencing Employee Retention
Employees don't leave companies. They leave managers. A 2025 national survey of over 4,000 UK workers conducted by Nottingham Trent University found that while employee engagement rose to 65%, poor management remained a key driver of disengagement and turnover. Many respondents cited their line manager as the primary reason for leaving a role [3]. This simple truth underscores the importance of skilled leadership in retaining top talent.
By investing in leadership development, organisations can ensure that they are not just keeping their best talent but also creating an environment where employees want to stay and grow.
For example, skilled managers are better equipped to:
- Spot early signs of disengagement or dissatisfaction, allowing them to address concerns proactively and prevent resignations.
- Offer clear paths for advancement and skill-building, increasing employee commitment and long-term retention.
- Provide meaningful feedback, helping individuals feel supported, motivated, and connected to the organisation.
- Recognise achievements and align development opportunities and encourage a sense of purpose.
- Deliver strong connection and collaboration, enabling and empowering fellow employees to perform and feel supported
How can you invest in your Team Leaders?
Investing in developing team leaders is an investment in your company's future. Skilled team leaders drive engagement, increase productivity, and play a pivotal role in talent retention. Qualifications like the ILM Management level three provide a structured, practical approach to building these essential leadership skills.
These qualifications cover everything from team motivation to performance management, strategic thinking, and problem-solving techniques. They also offer advanced communication skills, ensuring team leaders can navigate organisational dynamics effectively.
Apprenticeships complement this training by providing hands-on learning experiences, mentorship from experienced professionals, and the opportunity to apply theoretical knowledge in a real-world setting. Team leaders gain recognised professional qualifications through structured skill development, making them fully equipped to meet organisational challenges head-on.
Discover how ILM Level 3 qualifications and Team Leader apprenticeships support personal growth while strengthening organisational leadership capability.
Find out more about our Leadership and management qualifications
Find out more about our Level 3 Management Apprenticeship
References
[1] CIPD Good Work Index 2024: Survey report
[2] https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/technology-media-and-telecommunications/our-insights/the-social-economy
[3] https://www.ntu.ac.uk/about-us/news/news-articles/2025/05/employee-engagement-on-the-rise-but-workforce-inequalities-persist,-warns-national-survey
