(This blog has been written by an anonymous contributor whose identity has been intentionally withheld for privacy. Due to the sensitive nature of the content, the author's name has been omitted.)

I write this article because it must be written.

Managers have long been entrusted with the responsibility of shaping the next generation of leaders. In many organizations, it is believed that those in positions of power should nurture and develop talent, creating a steady pipeline of future successors. But in reality, maybe it's just mine, the corporate world is littered with stories of stagnation, frustration, and crushed ambition. This is all thanks to managers who see leadership development as a personal inconvenience rather than a fundamental duty.

Too often, managers are not talent builders; they are self-preservationists.

They will champion the company’s mission statement, nod along in meetings about employee development, and even feign enthusiasm about mentorship programs. But beneath the surface, their actions tell a different story. Their true priority is themselves. Grooming high-potential employees means creating competition. It means acknowledging that someone else might one day take their place. And that—more than any strategic roadmap or leadership philosophy—is their worst nightmare.

The reality is grim. Employees who show promise often find themselves in a cycle of stifled growth, trapped beneath managers who carefully ensure that no one shines too brightly. Those who should be developing their teams hoard power instead. They keep decision-making close to their chest, refusing to delegate even the most basic strategic tasks. They ensure that key knowledge stays with them, unrecorded, undocumented, and inaccessible. If they are the only ones who understand how things work, they remain indispensable. And being indispensable means being untouchable.

For those caught under such leadership, the experience is suffocating. They come in early, leave late, pour their energy into delivering exceptional work, only to be told they aren’t quite ready for more responsibility. They sit in meetings where their ideas are repackaged and presented as the manager’s own. They watch as mediocrity gets rewarded, as loyalty trumps capability, as the loudest voices drown out the most competent ones. They hear whispers of career development but see no real action—just empty words, feigned interest, and vague promises that never materialize.

Then there is the fear, the ridiculous, maddening fear that managers have of losing good employees. The assumption is always the same: if employees develop too much, if they learn too well, they will leave. Growth is treated as a threat, not an achievement. Instead of cultivating talent, managers lock their best employees into the same roles indefinitely, pacifying them with minor pay increases and the illusion of job security. And those employees? They stay, for a while. They stay because they have hope, because they believe that maybe, just maybe, someone will notice their effort. And when they finally realize no one will, they leave. The company loses its best talent, not because the employees lacked loyalty, but because their managers lacked vision.

At the heart of this dysfunction is the brutal truth that many managers have no idea how to develop people.

Their careers were built on their ability to perform in their individual roles, not on their ability to lead. When they are asked to mentor, to coach, to identify successors, they are lost. Leadership development is not a natural skill for them, and rather than admit this deficiency, they avoid the task altogether. Employees are left to figure things out for themselves, navigating a workplace that claims to care about growth but does nothing to prove it.

Even worse, many managers see succession planning as someone else’s problem. It is HR’s responsibility, not theirs. They do not believe they should be held accountable for developing their teams. Their only metric for success is hitting performance targets, and so long as those numbers look good, nothing else matters. The cracks in leadership only become evident when a key person leaves, triggering a frantic scramble to fill the void. Suddenly, there is panic. Suddenly, there is urgency. But by then, it is too late.

And so, employees endure. They endure the frustration of waiting for recognition that never comes. They endure the exhaustion of working under someone who would rather protect their own title than prepare others to lead. They endure the quiet heartbreak of knowing they are capable of more but are held back by the insecurities of those above them.

Organizations continue to let this happen. Year after year, company after company, the cycle repeats. Managers who stifle growth remain in power, those with real leadership potential move on, and businesses pretend to be confused about why they struggle with retention and succession.

And now the question remains: will anything actually change? Or will companies keep handing over the future of their workforce to managers who were never interested in shaping it to begin with?