Today’s managers are juggling a lot: setting strategic and giving direction while also building trust, navigating tough conversations, and creating a culture where people want to stay and grow. And yet, most managers are thrown into the role without the skills or preparation they need.
On our recent webinar, hosted by Mursion’s CRO, Jessica Harvey, and Global Accounts Director, Kassi Claggett, From Insight to Impact: How Simulation Turns Skill Gaps into Strength, we explored why so many managers are struggling—and how practice-based immersive learning for managers can shift the trajectory.
The Problem Isn’t Just Skills—It’s the Pressure to Get It Right
We’ve all heard the stat: 1 in 2 employees leave a job to get away from their manager. But beneath that stat is a more uncomfortable truth: many managers never have a chance to learn how to lead well.
Over 60% of new managers never receive formal training. And without support, they default to instinct, drawing on bits and pieces of the best and worst leaders they’ve worked for. They have no choice but to press ahead when the stakes are high, without a safe space to practice or reflect.
And the cost of that?
- Disengagement that quietly eats away at productivity
- Turnover that drains institutional knowledge
- Cultures that feel performative instead of inclusive
These issues are systemic, with the potential to have outsized impacts on the rest of the organization, from company culture all the way through to revenue targets, but they’re also solvable with practice-based immersive learning for managers.
“Managers are the frontline of company culture and their ability to lead with empathy, with clarity and integrity directly shapes how safe, valued, and committed their teams feel.” Jess Harvey, CRO, Mursion
Immersive Learning Changes the Game
Most training tells managers what good looks like. Practice-based immersive learning through simulation lets them try it out.
That’s what sets practice-based learning apart. At Mursion, we design high-fidelity simulations where managers can practice real conversations with emotional stakes, time pressure, and no “pause” button. They receive immediate feedback, reflect, and try again, building muscle memory they can rely on when it matters.
Take Mursion’s popular “Fix Me or Fix the Team” scenario for example. In a short demo, Jessica and Emma, a Mursion avatar, demonstrated how immersive practice helps managers tackle tough moments with empathy, clarity, and confidence. Real performance data across the Mursion customer base backs it up:
- Only 30% of managers demonstrate key skills on their first attempt
- But with reflection and a second try, that jumps to over 55%
- 96% report feeling more confident heading into difficult conversations after participating in simulations
This is how we move from upskilling in theory to transformation.
This Isn’t About Soft Skills. It’s About Strategy.
Let’s be clear: ineffective management isn’t just frustrating. It’s expensive.
Disengaged employees cost organizations 34% of their salary in lost productivity. Toxic culture is over 10x more predictive of attrition than pay.
Managers play a key role in establishing the foundation of your culture, and the right support changes everything. When leaders are equipped to coach, connect, and course-correct, engagement rises, performance improves, and people stay.
“As leaders, we can strive to give [our teams] not only the knowledge of what great looks like through amazing educational content, but also that safe place to practice difficult-to-master power skills that are so critical to creating healthy workplace cultures.” Kassi Claggett, Global Accounts Director, Mursion
Want to See What Practice Can Do for Your Team?
Whether you’re supporting first-time managers or developing your next generation of senior leaders, we can help you pinpoint the power skills that matter most—and give your people a place to build them.
Let’s design a solution that reflects your goals, your team, and your culture. Because better conversations start with better practice.
