From High Performers to High-Impact Managers: How WorkBetterNow Scaled Its Team and Strengthened Its Leadership Bench with Oxygen

Key Takeaways

  • 🚀 Scaling requires structured management training: Promoting top performers into management without support can harm team performance and retention.

  • 🧑‍🏫 Cohort-based learning drives impact: WorkBetterNow (WBN) leveraged Oxygen’s Management Essentials program, combining live coaching, peer learning, and practical tools to build leadership capabilities at scale.

  • 🎓 Training delivers measurable results: WBN saw stronger performance, improved retention, and more confident leaders across the organization.

  • 💡 Investing in managers is a business decision: Manager training is not a perk, it’s a critical lever for sustainable growth.

  • 📈 Real-world example: WBN promoted employees into leadership roles and used Oxygen to support their rapid growth as effective managers.

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From High Performers to High-Impact Managers: How WorkBetterNow Scaled Its Team and Strengthened Its Leadership Bench with Oxygen

Overview

WorkBetterNow (WBN), a provider of remote talent from Latin America to U.S.-based businesses, grew rapidly from a passion project to one of the fastest-growing companies on the Inc. 5000 list. As the business scaled, CEO Andrew Cohen noticed a common startup challenge: promoting top performers into management roles without giving them the support or structure to succeed.

“We were growing so fast. The people who stood out—the rock stars—got promoted,” said Andrew. “But I realized we were setting them up to fail if we didn’t give them the right tools.”

That’s when Andrew partnered with Oxygen, a management training academy that helps companies turn promising employees into confident, capable managers. Through Oxygen’s cohort-based Management Essentials program, WBN built a stronger leadership foundation, dramatically improved retention, and empowered rising leaders across the organization.

The Challenge

By 2025, WBN had grown to over 50 direct employees and more than 500 remote team members across Latin America. But rapid growth created pressure: employees who excelled in individual roles were being promoted into leadership without a clear roadmap.

Andrew saw the pattern early.

“Rock stars get results—but that doesn’t mean they can manage people,” he said. “Superstars bring others along with them. Promoting someone without support is a mistake. And I didn’t want to keep making that mistake.”

Andrew was already deeply involved in coaching his team. But he also knew his bandwidth was limited—and mentoring alone wasn’t enough.

“I didn’t have a curriculum. I was good at mentoring, but they needed more than that. They needed a real foundation. A playbook.”

He needed something scalable, practical, and proven.

The Solution: A Cohort-Based Training Program That Builds Real Skills

Andrew turned to Nick Herinckx, co-founder of Oxygen and a longtime business coach, to bring in a formal management training solution. What drew him to Oxygen’s Management Essentials program was its unique structure: it combined live coaching, practical tools, and a cohort model that helped rising managers learn from each other.

“It’s not just a lecture,” Andrew said. “They’re getting coaching, learning how to have hard conversations, and practicing in real time with peers. That’s what makes the difference.”

The program focused on:

  • Foundational skills like communication, prioritization, delegation, and performance feedback

  • Live coaching sessions with expert facilitators from Oxygen

  • Peer cohort learning, where managers from different companies troubleshoot shared challenges

  • Accountability and feedback, including exercises, real-world applications, and follow-up coaching

Denuar Cruz: Building a Recruiting Team from the Ground Up

Denuar started at WBN as a success coach. With limited formal management experience, he was promoted into recruiting, and eventually took over the entire department. After completing the Oxygen program, he now oversees 14 direct reports and manages managers of his own.

“I wouldn’t even call what I was doing before ‘managing,’” Denuar said. “Oxygen helped me step into the role with more structure.”

The most valuable part for him? The peer cohort model.

“Hearing from other managers in totally different industries who had the same problems—it was eye-opening. We’d bring real issues to the group and solve them together.”

The program also gave him a long-term relationship with his Oxygen coach, Heather, who he still meets with monthly.

“She gives me an outside perspective I didn’t know I needed.”

And the results were tangible: better team performance, more confident leadership, and increased retention. “We all see it,” Denuar said. “The way we run one-on-ones, hold people accountable, and follow through—it’s a whole new level.”

Silvana Rosetti: From Executive Assistant to Director of IT

Silvana’s journey is another testament to WBN’s approach to growing talent from within. She started as Andrew’s assistant. Today, she’s the Director of IT, leading a high-performing technical team.

“I always knew she was 10x,” Andrew said. “She just needed the right support to grow into that.”

Through Oxygen, Silvana gained the confidence, structure, and tools to lead effectively—especially around time management, feedback, and delegation.

“I used to reschedule or skip one-on-ones when things got busy,” she admitted. “Now I never do that. I protect that time. It’s where real growth happens.”

She also appreciated the program’s focus on accountability and upward management—two areas she hadn’t been trained in before.

“I learned how to lead while still being myself,” she said. “Now I feel confident making tough decisions and having hard conversations—and my team sees the difference.”

Why It Worked: Structure, Support, and Peer Learning

Unlike traditional management training, Oxygen’s program emphasized practicality over theory. The cohort model helped managers realize they weren’t alone in their struggles. And the live coaching gave them real-time support to apply what they learned.

Andrew appreciated how the program grew with his team.

“Like martial arts, where earning your black belt signals that you’ve mastered the core skills and are ready for more advanced practice — Oxygen helps managers build a solid foundation so they can lead at the next level.”

WBN has now sent multiple cohorts of managers through the program. The impact? Clearer communication, stronger performance, and better alignment.

A People-First Culture, Backed by Real Results

WBN is a people-first company—and that culture shows up in how it invests in its team. From educational stipends to internal promotions, Andrew believes in developing from within.

“Talent is everything. And strong leadership is how we keep our best people. That’s why our attrition rate is so low.”

WBN also uses its own internal learning platform, WBN Academy, and encourages directors to continue their education. But according to Andrew, Oxygen consistently receives the highest praise.

“We’ve tried other tools. Oxygen stands out. It builds real management muscle—and my team actually likes it.”

Advice for Other Leaders

Andrew is clear on one point: manager development is a business investment, not a perk.

“We take our best salespeople or top performers and throw them into management—and hope it works out,” he said. “That’s not a strategy. That’s gambling.”

Instead, he recommends finding a program that offers structure, community, and a focus on real-world execution.

“Managers are trained. Leaders may be born—but even they need tools. You can’t scale a business on talent alone. You need systems. You need Oxygen.”

Read the full case study here.

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