12 Essential Manager Superpowers for the Future of Work

Think back to your first manager. Chances are, they left a lasting impression, whether good or bad. And that’s the power of managers: They can make or break an employee experience. 

When employees have an effective manager, 70% have goal clarity compared to just 30% when their manager isn't effective, according to recent research from RedThread. And great onboarding led by strong managers makes new hires 50% more productive.

Yet today's managers are juggling more than ever. They're navigating constant technological change, managing hybrid and remote teams, adapting to AI-driven workflows, addressing evolving employee expectations around work-life balance, and making decisions with incomplete data while pressure mounts to demonstrate measurable business impact.

We even uncovered the need for empowering managers in our latest trends report, The Business Case for Humans in the AI Era, as an essential focal point for CHROs and organizations in 2026.

Strong management has always mattered. But how can organizations better equip their managers to succeed? Today, tomorrow, and beyond? 

We asked some of the brightest minds in HR, Visier’s Top 50 HR Leaders to Watch in 2026, a simple question: If you could give every manager one superpower, what would it be?

Their answers reveal what managers truly need to drive business success in 2026 and beyond.

About our HR leaders

These insights come from Visier's 2026 Top 50 HR Leaders to Watch—a distinguished group of data-driven innovators shaping the future of human resources across healthcare, manufacturing, financial services, and more. This year, our HR trailblazers shared their perspectives on what will define successful leadership and the emerging importance of managers in the new world of work.

Managers need… The power of clarity and focus

In a world of competing priorities and constant noise, managers who can cut through the chaos and help their teams understand what matters most are clearly creating the most impact. Good managers understand tasks. Great managers connect their team’s daily work to organizational purpose. Here’s a closer look at what our winners noted for their top manager superpowers: 

Creating Clarity

Trevor Walker, System SVP, Human Resources at CommonSpirit Health says: "I'd give every leader the superpower of creating clarity—because when people understand the 'why' and what success looks like, they unlock performance, trust, and purpose."

Instinctive Prioritization

Arielle Grupe, Associate Vice President, Workforce Insights, Organizational Performance and Planning at Ascension Health shares: "It would be the ability to instinctively prioritize the most important tasks and invest time where it matters most, while still maintaining consistent oversight across all other responsibilities—and to clearly see how their team's work connects to organizational performance and impact."

Intuitive Foresight

Kevin Moore, Senior Director People Analytics at Docusign adds: "If I could give every manager one superpower, it would be intuitive foresight. This power would allow managers to anticipate client needs before they're voiced and intuitively understand what solutions will deliver the most value. It would also enable them to read between the lines, see around corners, and guide their teams with clarity towards what matters most."

Managers need… Understanding through empathy and insight

Managers who truly understand their people don't just track what's happening. They dig deeper to understand why people show up, what motivates them, and what's really going on beneath the surface. These HR leaders emphasized that curiosity and empathy aren't soft skills. They're the foundation for unlocking performance.

Radical Empathy

Gary Russo, Executive Director of Workforce Intelligence at Providence Health emphasizes: "Radical empathy. Managers must navigate the waves of technological and social upheaval not only for themselves but for those they serve. There is no training manual for this. It is only in forging deep connections with others that we can plot the course toward positivity and innovation that benefit everyone."

Empathetic Insight

Melanie McCoy, Head of People Analytics & Workforce Planning at BNY explains: "Empathetic insight, or x-ray vision to see each situation through a stakeholders' eyes, including team members, clients, executives and partners. For a manager, this would help them understand what's actually happening with their team vs. what they think is happening, how people are feeling, the root cause of every issue. When people feel understood, they align and execute."

Extreme Curiosity

Matthew Hamilton, Vice President, People Analytics & HRIS at Protective Life notes: "If I could give managers one superpower, it would be an extreme sense of curiosity. Building the organizational capability to deliver data-driven insights is hindered when managers aren't deeply curious about their employees. That curiosity is what drives great leaders to dig towards a deeper understanding of the dynamics of their organization."

Manager need… to master the art of communication and feedback

Here's the thing about feedback: everyone knows it matters, but most managers still struggle with it. The leaders we spoke with pointed to coaching and real-time feedback as skills that separate managers who retain top talent from those who watch it walk out the door.

Active Listening

Tom Stolzfus, Executive Director, Global HR Information Management at Estee Lauder Companies reminds us: "Active listening is a superpower that is accessible to everyone. When you really focus and fully hear and consider what your team is saying, and not saying, it improves all of your leadership and managerial skills, especially coaching and rewarding."

Masterful Coaching

Nick Haap, Director, Talent Management and Continuous Listening at KeHE Distributors believes: "If every manager was a master at providing coaching and feedback, it would unleash the potential within their team members and have an exponential impact on business results."

Real-Time Feedback into Momentum

Anette Bohm, CHRO at bpost Group says: "If I could give every manager one superpower, it would be the ability to turn real-time feedback into positive momentum — the courage to say it, the skill to coach it, and the empathy to make it land."

Managers need… to understand data-driven decision making with human connection

Analytics without empathy leads to cold decisions, while empathy without data leads to guesswork. These leaders highlighted how the strongest managers understand the ripple effects of their choices and turn insights into meaningful action that improves both business outcomes and employee experience.

Seeing the Ripple Effect

Michael Walsh, Sr. Director, Workforce Analytics and Planning at Eaton Corporation shares: "The superpower I'd give every manager is the ability to see the ripple effect of their decisions— how even the smallest choices influence engagement, performance, and culture across the organization. That awareness helps managers lead with empathy and clarity, making decisions that strengthen trust and drive sustainable success."

Turning Data into Action

Holger Holz, Director, Global HR Systems at Linde adds: "With the complexity of a manager's role today, the one super power I would give to every manager is the ability to turn data into meaningful action and see the ripple effect of their decisions– how every choice impacts productivity, team engagement and long-term business success."

Unlocking Human Potential at Scale

Cher Whee Sim, Vice President, People Strategy, Technology & Talent Acquisition at Micron offers this vision: "I believe the greatest superpower for every leader is unlocking human potential at scale—powered by AI, but guided by empathy. Technology can help us see possibilities we never imagined, but it's our human connection that turns those possibilities into real growth. When we combine both, we create workplaces where people thrive, innovation accelerates, and impact multiplies."

As you can see, telekinesis, time travel, or even super-human strength isn’t what makes a great manager stand out. These skills can be learned and developed with the right support. But here's what stood out from these HR leaders: the managers who will succeed aren't just checking boxes on performance reviews. They're creating clarity in chaos, genuinely understanding their people, having tough conversations with empathy, and making smarter decisions by combining data with human insight.

As we enter 2026, you have a chance to make a difference in your organization, whether you’re a people manager or not. So ask yourself, what superpowers are you looking to develop this year? 

Key takeaways

• Clarity drives performance: Managers who can create clarity and help teams prioritize enable 70% of employees to understand goals, compared to just 30% under ineffective managers

• Empathy is essential: In times of technological and social change, managers need radical empathy, curiosity, and the ability to understand what's really happening with their teams

• Feedback fuels growth: The ability to provide timely, empathetic feedback and coaching unlocks team potential and directly impacts business results

• Data + humanity = better decisions: Tomorrow's managers must combine analytical insight with human connection, seeing how their decisions ripple through engagement, performance, and culture

• These skills are learnable: With the right organizational support, tools, and training, every manager can develop these critical capabilities