Why Early Careers Development Matters

Reflections from Taylor Clarke’s July ‘Let’s Talk’ event

Photo by Imagine Buddy on Unsplash

At Taylor Clarke, we’re passionate about conversations that matter, conversations that shine a light on the real issues shaping people, performance, and potential at work.

That’s the spirit behind our Let’s Talk series: interactive conversations where we explore the big questions that leaders, HR professionals, and learning partners are grappling with. Our most recent session focused on a topic we believe deserves far more attention, early careers development and the rise of the accidental manager.

Hosted by our CEO, Bonnie Clarke, and leadership consultant Matt Davies, this powerful discussion was rich with personal stories, practical strategies, and bold truths about what happens when we fail to equip people for management early, and what’s possible when we do.

Here’s what we explored together.

The Accidental Manager Problem: It’s More Common Than You Think

82% of first-time managers are promoted without formal training. That figure, shared at the start of the session, landed hard. It means most new managers are expected to lead others without the tools, support, or confidence to do it well.

And the consequences are very real:

• 1 in 3 people leave their role due to poor management.

• Only 27% of UK managers are rated as highly effective.

• Disengaged employees, often the result of ineffective leadership, cost billions in lost productivity every year.

  
  

As Matt put it, “You’d never put someone in charge of finance without training, so why do we keep doing it with management?”

What We’ve Learned: Stories from the Field

Drawing from years of experience working with early-career talent, graduates, apprentices, and line managers across sectors, we shared what really works, and what doesn't.

1. Set People Up with Meaningful Work

Early career professionals thrive when they are given purposeful, stretching responsibilities, not just busywork. Giving them something real to get stuck into builds confidence, capability, and motivation.

2. Equip the Line Managers Too

One of the most critical success factors? Who they report to. Many early-career employees are managed by people who have also never received leadership development. That creates a chain of underprepared leaders, and it’s where things start to unravel. As Bonnie noted, “We often set up two people to fail, not just one.”

3. Manage the Graduates vs. Apprentices Divide

Graduates often arrive with more visibility and fanfare than apprentices or other young entrants. This can unintentionally create resentment, division, or even arrogance, if not carefully managed. Culture, not hierarchy, must be the unifier.

4. Reflection is a Superpower

A strong theme of the session was the importance of reflective practice, giving young professionals the space to stop, think, and ask themselves: How am I showing up? What’s my impact? What do I want to be known for?

Personal brand, we agreed, is built from the very start. And it’s shaped by those early impressions, for better or worse.

The Cost of Doing Nothing

Let’s be honest, failing to invest in early careers development is costing organisations dearly:

• We lose high-potential people before they’ve added real value.

• We create toxic patterns of poor management that erode culture.

• We burn out promising talent by leaving them to sink or swim.

Worse still, we promote the wrong behaviours by rewarding technical excellence with leadership responsibility, without checking if someone actually wants to lead, or knows how to.

As Matt shared, “I’ve seen brilliant software engineers, salespeople, or recruiters promoted to manager because they were the best ‘doer’, only to lose them and their team’s trust because they weren’t ready.”

What Great Looks Like

We discussed practical models like PIE: Performance, Image, and Exposure, which help early career professionals understand that doing a good job isn’t enough. People need to know who you are, what you stand for, and how you show up.

We also explored the importance of having courageous conversations early, before issues become problems. A story about teaching apprentices how to tell a colleague “you might need more deodorant” prompted both laughter and insight, it’s a small but powerful example of the life-long impact these conversations can have.

And for the managers leading early career talent? We spoke about legacy.

What do you want the people you’re managing now to say about you in 10 years’ time? Will you be the name they remember as the person who made them better, more confident, and more capable?

You can be that person. But only if you choose to lead with intention.

Culture, Practice, and Psychological Safety

Leadership is a learned skill. It needs practice, just like public speaking, coaching, or coding. Yet, too often, people are left to figure it out on the job with no feedback or space to fail safely.

That’s why psychological safety came up as a vital ingredient in the conversation. Without the freedom to make mistakes, to think aloud, and to grow in public, people don’t become great managers, they become cautious ones. Or worse, they quit.

Our Call to Action

If you’re a leader, HR partner, or L&D professional, we’ll leave you with this:

Don’t wait until someone becomes a manager to teach them how to lead. Don’t hope they’ll figure it out. Don’t assume great performers make great people managers.

Invest early. Reflect often. Equip your people before you need them to lead. Because when you do, you don’t just reduce risk, you unlock potential.

What’s Next?

If you missed this Let’s Talk session or would like to discuss how we can support your early careers development strategy, get in touch.

And keep an eye out for our next event, we’d love for you to join us.

Because the best leadership journeys don’t start at the top. They start early. And they start with care.

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Written by Bonnie Clarke

Bonnie is driven by making a positive impact on places of work, for the people who work there. She is values led and is committed to working with purpose and compassion to unlock potential in individuals and teams. She is passionate about the psychology of human communication