When Your Manager Doesn't Care About Your Growth

In partnership with

Your business has grown. Is your accounting on the same path?

When you started out, doing your own books made sense. But the business you're running today isn't the one you started. If your accounting hasn't kept pace, it's quietly costing you — outdated financials, no clear view of what's actually profitable, and hours every week pulled away from the work that grows your business. At BELAY, our Financial Experts integrate directly into your business. They manage your books, reconcile accounts, run payroll, and deliver the timely insight you need to make big decisions with confidence. Stop guessing. Start knowing.

Download the Free Guide

Upcoming Featured Events at Executiv

Join us for this exclusive free Executiv x Advise2Rise masterclass led by coach Susy Martins and Samira Amin on what it takes to build and lead high-performing teams in today's rapidly changing business environment.

One of the biggest leadership lessons I've learned is that not every manager is going to care about your growth. Or growth in general, for anyone on their team.

Not saying this in a judgemental way, but that is just how they operate.

This realization can be tough for high-achievers. Many of us were taught that if we work hard, deliver results, stay loyal, and exceed expectations, growth will naturally follow.

Your manager would sing your praises in meetings in front of others and be bursting at the seams to have development chats about your career.

But that is not how it usually goes. Except for one manager I had, who swung so far in that direction it pushed me to quit my job and start a company. I digress.

Most managers are overwhelmed. They're trying to manage up, manage their team, navigate endless politics, deal with pressure from above and across, somehow eat lunch between their eight back-to-back meetings, and deliver results they don’t directly control.

So while great leaders absolutely prioritize developing people, many simply don't have the time.

That's why one of the most important leadership shifts you can make is realizing your growth cannot depend entirely on your manager.

You have to be in the driver seat of your career and leadership development.

Here is how to do that right:

1. Stop assuming your work speaks for itself. It doesn't. Your performance matters, but visibility, influence, and relationships matter more. Many leaders are exceptional operators, but they struggle to strategically position themselves internally for larger opportunities.

Try this: Send a monthly "Team Wins This Month" email to your broader team and cc your manager. It is easy to forget how much you're delivering if you're not highlighting it. If you want to go further, pick three leaders outside your direct chain and find a reason to be in front of them this month. Share a win, ask for advice, or offer a perspective they wouldn't otherwise hear. Visibility is not bragging. It is making sure the right people know what you are capable of.

2. Build relationships beyond your direct manager. One of the most important career accelerators is building a strong leadership support system around you. Mentors, sponsors, peers, executive communities, recruiters, and industry relationships often become the people who end up creating opportunities that truly change the course of your career. They did for me. Every single time.

Try this: Map your current network. Who is in it? If it is mostly people inside your company, at your level, you have a gap. Add one new senior relationship outside your org this quarter. A peer from another company or a leader you admire on LinkedIn. Someone one to two steps ahead of you and where want to be in a few years. Reach out and say hello.

3. Invest in becoming a better leader. The leaders who grow the fastest are usually the ones that invest in becoming better leaders. They work on themselves continuously. They listen to podcasts, read books, take courses, and actively participate in coaching programs for leaders. They intentionally put themselves out there in rooms and environments that stretch them.

Try this: Pick one area you want to actively develop over the next 90 days. Communication, executive presence, team leadership or strategic thinking. Find a program, a coach, or a community that can help you refine your skills in that area. Put it in your calendar like you would a meeting with your manager. 😉

Accelerate Your Career Growth with Executiv

To learn more about our private network for women in leadership (Directors to C-Suite), as well as our coaching programs, community, and events, email us at [email protected] or visit www.executiv.ca.

Our invite-only network brings together 195+ top women in leadership from global Fortune 500 companies like Miele, Unilever, Lactalis, Google, Amazon, and Colgate, as well as leading Canadian organizations including RBC, TD, Scotiabank, Canadian Tire, and many more.

We are a community that is highly vetted, deeply connected, and committed to each other’s success.

Our services are made available on-demand through our platform and app!

Follow Executiv on LinkedIn and IG!

“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, “I will try again tomorrow.”   

Mary Anne Radmacher