Most growing companies have figured out how to develop their frontline managers.


There are programs for that. Courses. Onboarding systems. A whole industry built around developing the people who lead teams of individual contributors.


And most owners and CEOs have figured out how to invest in themselves—peer groups, coaches, masterminds. The tools for developing the person at the top are well established.


But in the middle, at the VP and director level where strategy gets translated into execution, there’s often almost nothing.


And it’s costing companies more than they realize.


At the level where leadership matters most, development often disappears.


The transition to senior leadership is one of the hardest in business.


It’s not just a bigger version of what came before. The skills that made someone a great manager, such as being close to the work, driving execution, and solving problems directly, can become liabilities if they can’t be let go of.


Senior leaders have to shift. To lead through influence rather than control. To delegate fully instead of stepping back in. To navigate complexity, competing priorities, and relationships without losing effectiveness or themselves.


These are learnable skills. But they are rarely learned in isolation.


They’re developed through honest feedback. Through seeing your blind spots more clearly. Through hearing how someone else approached the same challenge differently. Through being in a room where you’re pushed to think better and lead better.


What most senior leaders are missing isn’t ambition or talent.


It’s a room where they can be challenged, seen clearly, and held accountable.


What This Looks Like Inside Organizations


I often hear from VPs and directors that at some point, the honest feedback stops coming. The mentorship that helped them grow earlier in their careers becomes harder to access.


They’re making high-impact decisions and navigating real challenges mostly on their own, not because they want to, but because they don’t have anywhere to take those conversations.


From the company side, I hear the same gap described differently.


Owners and CEOs want to develop their key people. They know how critical it is for succession, retention, and long-term growth. But they don’t have the time to build something and they’re not always sure what effective development actually looks like at this level.


The solution isn’t another course. Courses provide frameworks. Senior leaders need practice, reflection, and real accountability alongside peers who understand the weight of the role.


There’s a reason peer advisory has worked for CEOs for decades. Being surrounded by people who tell you the truth, who challenge your thinking, and who show up consistently changes how you lead.


That model works.


It just hasn’t made its way down the org chart.


I’m working on changing that and am building something specifically for high potential, emerging leaders at this level. Not a course, but a space for real conversation, challenge, and growth.


If this resonates, whether as a business owner, CEO, or president thinking about your senior team, or a leader who recognizes yourself in this spot, let's talk.


Contact me at mattbresee@actioncoach.com.


Matt Bresee is an executive and business coach with ActionCOACH Erie, where he works with business owners and leadership teams to develop stronger leaders, build accountable cultures, and drive sustainable growth.