By AMA Staff
Employees are motivated to build new skills and advance in their careers. Yet many report they are not receiving the performance support, leadership guidance, or developmental opportunities necessary to fully succeed.
The 2026 AMA Talent Development Study, which surveyed more than 1,000 respondents globally, points to a workforce that is optimistic about growth but looking for more support from the organizations and managers around them. For employers, that creates both an opportunity and a risk: Employee motivation can become a powerful source of performance and retention, but only when organizations know how to support it.
What Is Employee Development Support?
Employee development support is the ongoing guidance employees receive to help them perform effectively and progress in their careers.
Formal training is one part of that support. The manager-employee relationship is a bigger part. Employees need clarity about expectations, meaningful feedback on their performance, opportunities to strengthen skills, and help navigating increasingly complex work.
When that support is inconsistent, employee ambition can go untapped.
Employees Are Motivated to Learn and Advance
The research challenges the idea that employees have lost interest in professional growth.
Respondents identified opportunities for work-life balance and developing new skills among their professional priorities. And 87% reported feeling somewhat to very confident about their future advancement opportunities.
That optimism is an organizational asset.
Motivated employees are more likely to:
- Take initiative and pursue new ideas
- Engage more deeply in their work
- Look for ways to improve performance
- Contribute positively to workplace culture
- Remain committed through change and uncertainty
- Invest in their long-term career growth
Employees Want More Support From Their Managers
Employee ambition does not eliminate the need for strong management. In fact, the more employees want to develop, the more important effective guidance becomes.
According to the study, only 27% of respondents said their managers were highly effective, while 66% reported that they were not receiving frequent support from their managers.
Employees need managers who can explain what success looks like, help them improve, provide useful feedback, and create confidence when priorities or conditions change.
What Would Most Improve Manager Effectiveness?
Respondents identified several areas where stronger manager capabilities could make a difference:
- 55% — Better communication and clarity of expectations
- 43% — Stronger decision making
- 40% — More consistent feedback and coaching
- 32% — Greater empathy and emotional intelligence
- 31% — Improved ability to navigate change and ambiguity
The strongest need was for clearer, more capable, and more consistent leadership.
Employees want to understand what is expected of them. They want managers who can make decisions when circumstances are uncertain. And they want feedback that helps them improve rather than leaving them to determine their development needs on their own.
Why Manager Support Matters for Employee Performance
Managers play a central role in connecting employee motivation with organizational performance.
An employee may be highly motivated to grow, but motivation alone does not provide direction. Employees still need to know which capabilities matter most, where they can improve and how their development connects to their role and the organization’s priorities.
Effective manager support can help employees:
- Understand expectations. Clear communication reduces uncertainty and helps employees focus their effort on the right outcomes.
- Identify opportunities to improve. Consistent feedback gives employees a clearer picture of their strengths and development needs.
- Build skills through coaching. Managers can help employees apply what they learn to real workplace challenges.
- Navigate difficult situations. Strong decision making and communication become especially important during change, ambiguity, or competing priorities.
- See a path forward. Development conversations can help employees connect current performance with longer-term professional growth.
Without this support, organizations risk allowing motivated employees to become frustrated or disengaged. Employees who do not see meaningful opportunities to learn and advance may eventually look elsewhere for them.
Employee Growth Is a Business Opportunity
Supporting employee development is not only an employee experience issue. It can influence broader organizational performance.
When motivated employees have the support to develop effectively, organizations are better positioned to strengthen:
- Employee engagement and retention
- Productivity and performance
- Collaboration and innovation
- Employee motivation and well-being
- Attraction of top talent
- Leadership pipelines
- Organizational adaptability
The opportunity is significant because employees are already bringing ambition to the workplace. Organizations can build on that momentum by ensuring managers have the capabilities and tools to guide it productively.
How Organizations Can Better Support Employee Growth
Organizations looking to close the gap between employee ambition and day-to-day support can start with the manager experience.
1. Make Expectations Clear
Managers should be prepared to communicate priorities and responsibilities in ways employees can understand and act on.
2. Make Feedback More Consistent
Feedback is most useful when it happens regularly, not only during formal performance reviews. More frequent conversations can help employees adjust and build confidence over time.
3. Build Coaching Capability
Managers need the skills to help employees think through challenges, develop solutions, and apply new capabilities in their work. Coaching turns development from an occasional activity into an ongoing part of performance.
4. Strengthen Manager Communication and Decision Making
Employees specifically identified communication, clarity, and decision making as areas that would improve manager effectiveness. Developing these capabilities can help managers provide steadier leadership in complex or changing conditions.
5. Connect Development to Career Growth
Employees want to develop new skills and advance professionally. Organizations can strengthen that motivation by making development opportunities visible and helping employees understand how new capabilities can support their future growth.
Meeting Employees Where Their Ambition Already Is
When employees receive clear expectations, meaningful feedback, effective coaching, and opportunities to build their capabilities, professional ambition can translate into stronger performance and deeper organizational commitment.
When that support is missing, organizations risk leaving employee potential unrealized.
Employees are ready to grow. Organizations that meet them there will be better positioned to grow with them.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do employees want most from their managers?
Employees want clear communication and expectations, strong decision making, consistent feedback and coaching, empathy, and help navigating change and ambiguity. In the AMA study, better communication and clarity of expectations was the most frequently identified improvement to manager effectiveness.
Why is manager feedback important for employee development?
Feedback helps employees understand what they are doing well, where they can improve, and how to apply new skills more effectively. Consistent feedback also makes development part of everyday performance rather than an occasional event.
How can organizations support employees who want to grow?
Organizations can provide meaningful learning opportunities while equipping managers to communicate expectations, coach employees, give regular feedback, and connect development to career goals and workplace performance.
What skills make managers more effective?
The AMA study highlights communication, decision making, feedback and coaching, empathy and emotional intelligence, and the ability to navigate change and ambiguity as important areas for improving manager effectiveness.
Why does employee motivation matter to organizations?
Motivated employees are more likely to take initiative, engage deeply in their work, improve their performance, contribute positively to culture, and invest in long-term career growth. Organizations that support that motivation can turn employee ambition into greater organizational capability.
Continue the Research
Explore the full 2026 AMA Talent Development Study, Ambitious Employees. Underprepared Managers. A Growing Organizational Risk. for additional findings on manager readiness, leadership capability, workplace learning, and the development practices organizations can use to build stronger teams.
Visit amanet.org to explore AMA training and development resources for employees, managers, and leaders.