Managing People: Building Confidence and Equipping Leaders

Managing people can be challenging, especially for those new to leadership. When managers feel equipped, they are more likely to care for their teams and maintain a higher level of confidence. However, building that confidence and ensuring leaders are prepared to handle challenges often gets overlooked.

Incorporating diverse tools and methods to face situations with confidence could be the solution your company needs to develop a team of skilled leaders. One effective approach to consider is role play.

Challenges Managers Are Facing

Today’s managers are facing unique and evolving challenges. The workplace is constantly changing—whether due to pandemic restrictions that shifted work away from offices or the increasing integration of AI in various roles. Adapting to new technologies and overcoming obstacles can feel overwhelming, particularly for those resistant to change. Leading individuals who prefer the status quo adds another layer of complexity.

Disengagement, workplace dissatisfaction, and burnout rates remain high. To address these issues, managers must approach their teams with compassion, support, and constructive feedback. Yet according to the 2025 LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report, half of leaders feel the support is lacking when it comes to helping employees gain new skills.

Building Confidence through Role Play

If you want to equip your managers with tools to navigate difficult conversations and better support their teams, role play can be a powerful method. Start by identifying common challenges leaders face when communicating with employees, and craft scenarios that mirror these situations. For instance, if a manager struggles to address low engagement leading to poor performance, role play can provide a safe space to practice and refine their approach.

AI-powered tools can further enhance this process by enabling real-time, interactive conversations. LinkedIn recently introduced its own role-playing tool, and over 90 percent of managers who used it over a three-month period reported that the time spent was valuable.

What Leaders Learned

After engaging in role play, managers gained several key insights:

• Attention spans are short. In today’s fast-paced world, people are accustomed to quick, engaging content on their devices. Long, drawn-out conversations can be challenging to follow. Simplifying messages helps individuals stay focused and receive the support they need.
• Personalization matters. Tailoring the experience to real-world scenarios made a significant difference for those using AI-powered role-playing tools. Drawing from actual challenges your team faces and analyzing metrics can help leaders address specific issues effectively. This effort also allows companies to measure the impact of role play on improving tough conversations.

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