Perspectives
Lights...Camera...Manage!
by David McFeely, Ph. D.
Have
you ever had a dream where you found yourself on a stage with a guitar in your
hands (or some other musical instrument) and you had absolutely no idea how to
play it? I’ve had that dream on several occasions and, although I am not a
psychologist, it probably stems from a fear of having to do something that I
am not prepared for, and therefore risk embarrassment. If you are like me,
this is not a situation that I ever want to find myself in!
But this type of
scenario pops up every day when we promote someone into management. Like a
deer in the headlights, many new managers are not prepared to tackle their new
role. So what do most people who are put in that situation do? They fake it,
of course! Most people do not want to risk the embarrassment of saying that
they do not know how to manage. After all, they think, my boss believed in me
and promoted me. So they muddle through and do the best they can and hope to
not make a mistake, or if they do, that nobody notices. But faking management,
like faking an instrument, may produce noise, but will not be the type of
sound that keeps people listening.
Consider this for a
moment: do we promote sales people to accountants? How about computer
programmers to the position of chef? No! At least that is not a typical career
path that I’ve seen. If I were suddenly promoted to be an engineer in charge
of designing a bridge, I would be totally unprepared and ill-equipped, and
potentially put many lives in danger. But for some reason we promote people
into leadership without giving them the tools they need to be successful.
Maybe it is because we are under the notion that people have inherent traits
or skills that will emerge when put in that position. We may also believe that
we were able to discern leadership potential by looking at how they performed
in their past role as individual contributor, and infer that they will be a
successful supervisor or manager (with a little help from you, of course,
along the way). But leadership, like any other profession, requires skills
that a person can draw on in order to be successful.
The
Critical First Three Months
Michael Watkins
explains in his book The First 90 Days
that new managers have about 90 days to succeed or fail. Managers who fail can
be quite expensive in terms of lost money to the company, not to mention the
potential damage to the individual’s career. But even for those who don’t
outright fail, to truly be successful they must also be able to demonstrate
value to the organization. According to Watkins, it takes about 90 days to
reach a break even point, which is the point that managers have created as
much value in the organization as they have consumed. With the pressure to
succeed and the risk of failure and embarrassment hanging on the shoulders of
many new managers, it goes without saying that the truly great companies will
find ways to develop their managers so that they can tackle their new
challenges and achieve long term success. It’s in everybody’s best
interest to do so.
What
Front-Line Managers Need
But what skills do
front-line managers need? Simply put, the job of a front-line manager is to
get the job done through others. For starters, they need to understand how to
develop people. As we learned from a young age on the school playground, human
dynamics can be quite complicated, especially if the super-worker turned
super-visor has not had that much experience effectively dealing with other
communication styles. Basic courses which address social or behavioral styles
should be primary for all in front-line management.
Another needed skill is
learning how to handle performance issues, whether that means an employee who
is not at a minimally acceptable standard or someone who could potentially do
more, but for some reason is not. Inexperienced
managers will tend to under-supervise or over-supervise when these issues
arise, often times exacerbating the situation. Coaching and feedback training
is essential for those first few months in a management role, when they are
just learning how to develop a team.
The old adage “if you
fail to plan you plan to fail” is very apt for new managers. The first three
months in a new position are critical, both for the individual and for the
company. It is important to put in place a solid 90-day plan that addresses
vital elements of the transition. It should address such things as: building a
team, learning the company expectations of being a manager, having the right
conversations with the right people, understanding the culture, and securing
early wins. It can be a great learning tool for the new manager as well as a
great conversation piece with their immediate supervisor.
Is
Training Worth It?
These are just a few of
the top picks for new managers. It’s Management 101. But is the investment
in training worth it? Well, think about it this way. Most of us who are
managers learned to manage from those who managed us. We picked up both the
good and bad behaviors that they exhibited, unless we learned from somewhere
else more effective ways of managing. Many of the managers that I have trained
over the years, often with many years of experience behind them, have said the
same thing: “I wish I had this when I first started! I would have done
things a lot differently.”
You picked them for the
potential that they had, so it’s important to help them be successful. After
all, you wouldn’t want to be asked to play the French horn at the company
Christmas party, now would you?
About the Author: David
McFeely is the founder of The Workforce Innovation Company, which is a
training consulting company that provides innovative approaches to management
and employee development. Over his career, Dave has trained thousands of
people, engaging every class with his energetic and creative delivery style.
As a lifelong learner, he holds a Ph.D. in Training and Development and an
M.A. in Communication. Dave has conducted workshops at professional
associations on topics such as Training and Corporate Strategy and Utilizing
Learning to Cultivate and Retain Top Talent.
For more information, please visit www.workforce-innovation.com
or call 817-704-0256.