In many discussions with senior leadership teams, when employee turnover becomes a topic of concern, the most common reflex is to review salaries, revisit policies, or adjust benefits. However, when we analyze cases in which employees leave after six months to one or two years, one factor consistently emerges as the most decisive: the direct manager.
For many years, KPIs have been a familiar concept in corporate management. Almost every organization has KPIs, every department is assigned targets, and every individual is given numerical goals. However, as organizations enter the digital era—where data, technology, and AI fundamentally reshape operations—an increasing number of companies face a paradox: KPIs are abundant, yet actual performance improvement remains limited.
2025 has been a distinctive year. Many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have managed to sustain operations and, in some cases, achieve modest growth. However, a common sentiment among leaders is one of fatigue, tension, and a lack of operational ease. What is particularly noteworthy is that this level of exhaustion is not proportional to the effectiveness achieved.
Vietnam’s economy is entering a challenging phase: markets are volatile, input costs are rising, consumer behavior is shifting, skilled labor is scarce, and customers are becoming increasingly demanding.
As a department head, deputy manager, or team leader, you are the “bridge” between senior leadership and frontline employees. The success or failure of your department largely depends on how you organize, lead, and adapt.
And today’s context is fundamentally different from the past: we are living in the AI & VUCA era – where everything is volatile (Volatility), uncertain (Uncertainty), increasingly complex (Complexity), and often ambiguous (Ambiguity).
So, what does the “portrait” of a mid-level manager look like in order not just to survive, but to truly thrive in this environment?
In recent conversations with businesses, we have noticed a recurring question: “How can we retain and develop Gen Z – the young generation of employees who are increasingly making up a large share of the workforce?”
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