The Hardest (Paid) Job in the World
No one really trains you for it.
I don’t think I know anyone who ever said, “When I grow up, I want to be a line manager.”
One day you’re doing your job, confident, capable, good at what you do.
And the next, you’re responsible for people.
Not just tasks, but performance. Motivation. Confidence. Worries. Potential.
And that’s when it hits you: this might just be the hardest paid job in the world.
Being a line manager asks you to juggle everything: business pressures, deadlines, budgets, personalities, and emotions.
Multiple ‘everything’s.
You’re expected to have answers, to be the calm in the storm, to keep things moving, even when you’re figuring it out as you go.
It’s tough. And relentless.
The Part No One Warns You About
Everyone has a different approach. I’ve been micro-managed, ignored, overloaded and overlooked.
But also inspired, challenged, motivated and respected.
I’ve also been a line manager.
It is not a job I relish.
It’s not my thing, and quite frankly, I find it exhausting. Coach, yes, mentor, yes, project manager, yes, department leader, absolutely yes, but line manager, please no.
I can do it, but I selfishly love to focus on my own endeavours. And whilst I love to cheerlead, I love to do it as a colleague.
And I’m not alone.
I’ve seen brilliant people promoted because they were exceptional at their jobs , only to find themselves overwhelmed by the people side of management.
Not because they lacked skill or care, but because managing people is complex, messy, and unpredictable.
It’s about listening when you don’t have time.
Giving feedback when you don’t want conflict.
Motivating others when you’re running on empty yourself.
There’s no rulebook that covers all that and most “management training” happens months or years after someone’s already in the role, firefighting their way through the early days.
And yet, we keep treating line management as something people will just “pick up”.
We promote strong performers and hope they’ll figure out the people side along the way.
When they struggle, we call it confidence. Or resilience. Or attitude.
But most of the time, it’s a capability gap not a character flaw.
Sometimes the Best Work Happens Quietly.
That’s one of the reasons Jessanol exists.
This is the kind of work I’m drawn to, not flashy interventions, but small, thoughtful changes that make managing people easier in practice.
Over the years, my passion has been working behind the scenes, creating the kind of learning, onboarding, and development experiences that actually help line managers do it.
Quietly. Practically. In ways that fit the real world of busy teams, shifting priorities, and limited time.
Because the truth is, great management isn’t about perfect frameworks or motivational quotes. It’s about equipping people to lead with confidence, clarity, and care even on the days that feel impossible.
That’s where the real impact happens.
What Makes It So Hard and So Worth It
Line managers hold the heartbeat of a business. They’re the link between strategy and delivery, between leadership and employees.
When managers thrive, teams perform, culture strengthens, and people stay.
When they struggle, everything else starts to creak.
Yet most line managers still don’t get the support they need, not because organisations don’t care, but because it’s hard to know where to start.
Sometimes an external set of eyes, allowed to focus in on the problem, can bring insight and options. Can see the detail within the whole picture, and bring in external ideas and experiences that can change the narrative.
Sourcing free training and certification for a workforce that couldn’t access it themselves because it wasn’t in the budget. Enabling workers to share their talent and skills between teams and even countries, because beyond departmental budgets and targets, it was simply the right thing to do. And the workers themselves loved the international experience.
Or challenging a business to change the way they onboard, even down to the day of the week they start new hires, because operationally, starting on a Wednesday, they had the time to deliver a great first day.
And not a new training course in sight…
My work with businesses focuses on helping them build better learning experiences, ones that remove friction, simplify processes, and give managers what they need to support their teams with confidence.
It’s not glamorous work, but it’s meaningful.
And it starts with empathy.
The Quiet Heroes
Line managers don’t need more pressure.
They need better support.
If you’re a manager reading this and thinking, “This feels uncomfortably familiar,” you’re not failing.
You’re doing a hard job, often without the structure, tools, or guidance that would make it sustainable.
That’s why I created SkillSmart Manager.
It gives managers a clear, practical way to:
build confidence in the people side of the role
strengthen communication and problem-solving
support performance without carrying everything themselves
develop skills in the flow of real work, not on top of it
It’s not about becoming a different kind of manager.
It’s about being better supported in the role you already have.
That support doesn’t always mean more training, sometimes it starts with stepping back and understanding what’s actually making the role so hard.
When performance feels heavy, unclear, or inconsistent, it’s rarely because managers aren’t trying hard enough.
Often, it’s because the system around them hasn’t been looked at properly.
Performance & Clarity is designed to create that breathing space.
It helps businesses step back, understand what’s really getting in the way of good performance, and identify where support will actually make a difference, before adding more training, frameworks, or expectations.
If this resonates, and you’d like to explore how to better support your line managers or yourself through learning, I’d love to talk. You can reach me here.