To say that the state of the modern workplace is drastically different than what it once was a few years ago is an understatement. Year after year since the rise of hybrid work, managers have been responsible for driving results in the face of many unique challenges — prolonged burnout, mass layoffs and ever-increasing business demands — all without the resources to do it sustainably. And yet, according to research from thought leader Josh Bersin, many companies still treat leadership development as an added perk, rather than an effort that is a critical part of their strategy. It’s time we collectively adopt a fresh mindset around development in the workplace and give leaders the growth opportunities they truly crave.

As a leadership development coach with over 15 years of experience investing in the professional development of managers of all backgrounds, I’m sharing insight on five transformative benefits of supporting the growth of managers in the workplace.

1. Managers have the greatest influence on employee engagement

In the context of hybrid work, employee engagement is one of the biggest determining factors of the productivity of any team. With the understanding that 70 percent of the variance in team engagement is determined solely by its manager, effective leadership skills go a long way in setting expectations around engagement and performance within any organization.

It’s also equally important to note that, according to Gallup research, only about 10 percent of managers naturally possess the skills needed to lead; but with the right development opportunities and environments to work those management muscles, many can adopt the know-how and resources to succeed in such a role. Managers are the key to fostering higher levels of engagement and motivation across teams.

2. Good leadership addresses any adverse effects hybrid work may have on career development

It’s no shock that hybrid work is here to stay, but it’ll surely continue to surprise us as employees and managers alike navigate its enduring challenges.

While we usually get our fair share of face-to-face time remotely and in the office, we’ve lost the organic learning opportunities that come with water cooler chats; spontaneous, collective problem-solving sessions; and watching your boss field a tricky situation in a meeting in real time. For example, a manager who invites their employee to a high-stakes meeting to observe and listen gives them access to key stakeholders and on-the-job learning they would otherwise not get on their laptop at home. This kind of growth isn’t always measurable, but it matters. These natural building blocks show a marked difference in employees who are engaged in their work and organization—especially those who are prime candidates for internal advancement or leadership positions.

Fortunately, employees don’t have to forgo these important lessons that in-office work teaches us over time. Managers just have to get more intentional about how to supplement this kind of learning.

3. Effective communication skills become a team standard

One of the most important foundations of successful leadership lies in a manager’s ability to communicate their ideas, expectations and feedback. So when we equip workplace leaders with such skills, it’s no wonder that teams start to work more cohesively and productively.

The best part? As managers set clear expectations, give and receive feedback, use delegation as a development tool and consistently have weekly one-on-one check-ins, effective communication becomes the precedent for all conversations that they have with their direct reports. By inherently improving standards for how information is shared between employees, managers foster a company culture that supports collaboration and growth.

4. A modern workforce is given a modern way to learn

Many managers across a vast number of industries have traditionally lacked the time, space and support to be able to practice new skills. And because many companies have underinvested in manager development—so much so that only one in three leaders understand how their performance affects their opportunities for internal advancement, and just 8% strongly agree that their performance reviews inspire them to improve—new managers are ill-prepared to be successful in work cultures that have grown and scaled in recent years.

In reality, growing managers need access to on-demand resources, guidance from experienced coaches and peer cohorts where they can engage in social learning and collective problem-solving. When given safe spaces like these to practice, managers have the opportunity to move the needle, create meaningful change and develop skills that stick.

5. Cultures of empathy and accountability can coexist.

Currently, too many managers are over-empathizing and opting out of hard feedback conversations because they are intimidated by rampant narratives around quiet quitting and burnout. While these sessions may be daunting, they are central to progress and the key to generating awareness about what’s going well and what needs to change.

As managers, there will be many times when a team member has put in a great deal of effort but still doesn’t meet a certain goal or expectation. Even if the forthcoming conversation is uncomfortable, it’s important that it still happens. Effective managers know that course corrective feedback is mission-critical for capturing lessons learned and that strategizing a way forward is far better than skipping the conversation because it’s difficult.

Exhibiting empathy and upholding systems of accountability are not mutually exclusive—both are skills that enable managers to foster employee development and innovation.

Support managers with a framework for success

Defined processes and frameworks bring ease and can kickstart new habits. McKinsey & Company shares that “managers do not wake up and automatically know what great looks like, nor do they learn through osmosis. Instead, [they] exhibit these behaviors when multiple factors are present: they have clear expectations, are given targeted training, understand why their actions matter, see inspiring leaders behaving similarly, and have support systems in place.”

It’s time we acknowledge that the benefits of effective leadership in the workplace are necessities for the state of management. As business demands shift, so will our expectations of managers. It’s only logical that we sufficiently prepare and support them to lead our organizations to success.

This article was originally published om Forbes.com and has been republished with permission from the author.