Effective management training and development is an essential part of organizational strategy. Without dynamic leadership and strong decision-making, employee morale and productivity can suffer, impacting the bottom line of any business. The best training and development opportunities address key issues from day one and help managers start off as well-informed, strong decision-makers.
Address barriers in internal promotion
Good workplaces know how to promote from within and hire from the larger workforce. Each carries unique challenges. A big part of training is helping a new leader manage subordinates who were once peers. A key way to successfully navigate this murky area is by providing effective communication training and the guidance needed for making decisions. Communication training makes it possible to establish boundaries and maintain a professional but approachable tone. It is not necessary to establish a boundary, but strategically shifting previous relations will benefit everyone. A new manager from the workforce is uniquely qualified to know what former co-workers are best at and where they need help. When practical, project management guidance is a great investment. It equips managers with the skills needed to assign tasks based on strengths, weaknesses, and priorities.
Avoid sugarcoating to improve performance
Performance reviews seem to operate at two extremes. They are either a subject of terror or largely ineffective. When an organization is cultivating new leaders, neither option is good. Instead, manager performance needs to be evaluated critically with an eye for both valid criticism and valid praise. Managers need to know what is moving the needle and inspiring the team, but they also require guidance, particularly in the early days. Avoid the tendency to buffer constructive critiques with soft language or unmerited praise. Instead, focus on ways to improve weak areas and identify new benchmarks to aim for in future review periods.
Include overviews of all essential areas
Based on individual occupations, management can look a lot different from job to job, and the different levels of management present unique challenges. In one organization, a manager may constantly monitor direct reports and address issues as they appear. Other workplaces require the manager to supervise a more autonomous workforce while completing an assortment of other tasks, such as preparing organization reports, setting performance targets, and overseeing human resource efforts. No matter how hands-on a managerial role is, providing base-level training in all key tasks is essential. From benefits administration to labor laws, if the manager is the final word, they need to be well-informed and able to address any basic crisis that appears and have the tools necessary for elevating a matter to next-level experts, such as a legal team or human resources.
Contact a company like Synthesis Leader to learn more.
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