As your company grows, you will need a higher number of managers who can function as effective leaders. When new managers are appointed, they may not have the skills they need. Experienced managers must help these individuals develop their careers by providing early assignments and management coaching so that they may have a firm foundation and deliver better performance. The firmer the foundation, the more likely it will be that the new appointees will become resilient, stable, and effective managers.
It is imperative that you have a well-thought-out plan to develop your new managers into strong leaders. Offering leadership training to your managers has several benefits. The most prominent one is that when you invest in leadership training and talent development, you build a culture of respect and trust in your organization. This reduces employee turnover and disengagement, which is significantly beneficial for you.
Trusted Leadership Leads to More Engagement Within the Employees
Your business performance depends significantly on your employee engagement, which relies on good leadership.
Here’s what research shows:
- Engaged employees are 2 times more likely to help other employees.
- They are 3 times more likely to go the extra mile, even if they were not expected to.
- They are 2.5 times more likely to stay back late.
- They are 5 times more likely to have a positive outlook on their job and to recommend their employer to others.
- 33 percent of Americans report that the most stressful part of their jobs is poor leadership.
Employees who don’t like or respect their leaders are 2 times more likely to switch to a new job than those who have a good supervisor.
When your employees are engaged and motivated, they perform better and generate more business. They also remain longer with your company because they are satisfied with their leaders.
Weaknesses in a manager or leader’s skills are harmful because it leads to decreased employee engagement.
Some signs of poor leadership include:
- Incompetence
- Stubbornness
- Indecisiveness
- Blaming others
- Over-reactive
- Won’t delegate
- Vague or empty promises
- Bias or favoritism
If your managers have any of these problems, they need training on how to address them so that they can lead better and gain more trust and loyalty from their team members.
So, how can these skills be developed?
Crucial Skills That Need to Be Developed in Managers
In order for managers to motivate and lead their teams productively, they need several core skills. While it takes time to master these skills, and they may always need to be improved, senior management must focus on developing these skills in the new managers:
Communication
Communication skills go far beyond making speeches and creating reports. They also include:
- Active listening
- Effective written communication
- Courageous conversations
- Follow-up
- Emotional intelligence
Strong communication skills are key to effective leadership. Therefore, for new managers, polishing them is the first step in applying management and leadership theories.
Goal Setting
It is challenging to create a perfect balance between difficulty and achievability. However, mastering the fine art of goal setting is crucial to motivate both the individual employees and entire teams.
Coaching
Knowing how to do a task well is different from teaching somebody else to do it. Coaching is no easy feat; it requires much time and effort to master. Leaders who know how to deliver feedback on both the motivational and technical aspects of the work have more successful teams, so coaching is an essential skill to have.
Teamwork and Collaboration
Effectively leading a team collaboration is very different from being an individual contributor. A leader should recognize each team member’s contribution and encourage each of them to participate. A good manager does more listening than talking, facilitates productive conversations that revolve around ideas, solutions, and strategy rather than showering their teams with commands.
How to Train Your New Managers
There can be several learning trajectories when it comes to leadership skills. Identify the skills that your individual managers need to nurture and analyze how you can utilize each of the following opportunities and training methods to develop those competencies.
Mentoring or Coaching
Connect new managers with experienced coaches or mentors. They can give them leadership and managerial tips, as well as honest and crucial feedback.
Technology
Provide training for your managers in the particular set of technological tools that you use in your business, such as project management platforms, communication platforms, reporting tools, and more.
Performance Reviews
This is an excellent opportunity to assess your managers’ long-term plans and goals. Discuss what’s going nicely and what’s not so that they can know where there is room for improvement.
One-on-Ones
Feedback doesn’t have to wait for performance reviews. At regular intervals, make sure that there are one-to-one meetings between your new managers and upper management. Generally, a schedule of once every week or two is suitable. This is an excellent opportunity to provide further coaching and to ensure that everybody is on the same page.
Peer Feedbacks
Create an environment in which the leaders of your organizations gather together to share inside information that’s crucial at their level – senior, mid-level, or frontline, whichever it is.
Individual Development Plans
For each of your managers, develop a plan that answers these questions:
- What are my targets, objectives, and goals?
- What resources can I use?
- How will I measure success?
- Which activities should I invest my time and effort in?
This personalized training style develops deeper connections between leaders and their peers, teams, personal and career development, and the organization as a whole.
Developing leadership and managerial skills is a continuous process at each level of management
New supervisors, high potential employees, top-level managers, or mid-career managers who have been working in their roles for decades – all of these require continuous skill development to adapt to the ever-evolving workplace. They need to grow each day to learn how to inspire and motivate their employees and keep them engaged.
Some courses that may help you develop your skills in this area include.
Business Succession Planning, Emotional Intelligence, Coaching and Mentoring, Performance Management, Developing New Managers, Leadership and Influence,
Some courses that may help your new managers succeed include.
Communication Strategies, Assertiveness and Self Confidence Delivering Constructive Feedback, Employee Motivation, Goal Setting, Servant Leadership, Team Building Through Chemistry
