New Management Training
New managers are often employees who excel in their current role and are promoted to a supervisory position. On his leadership blog, coach John G. Agno points out that employees who succeed among the "rank-and-file" do not necessarily have the skills necessary to manage others well. Agno says that in addition to training on workplace policies and rules, new managers benefit greatly from "soft skills" training on topics such as coaching, leading, giving feedback and resolving conflicts.
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Challenges
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Because new managers are often given an opportunity to lead a team based on their previous job performance, they will likely have an solid understanding of the job responsibilities of their direct reports but lack the management skills and experience needed to lead them to success. Agno points out that new managers are frequently forced to learn necessary skills through trial and error and cite supervising their former peers as one of the biggest challenges a new manager will face.
Pitfalls
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Without proper training, new managers will "fall back on the management styles they have observed and repeat the same mistakes," according to Jonnie Martin, a Vancouver-based small business consultant. Barbara Macnab, a management trainer at Southwest Office Supply in Tigard, Oregon, recalls what happened when she found herself in her first management position without any formal training at the age of 25: "I failed to find out what ... motivated these people. I really had to take some steps back to figure out how to get them to get the best out of their jobs."
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Types
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Most management and leadership training is completed in a classroom setting in which participants can share experiences, ask questions and role play scenarios under the direction of an instructor. Founded in October 2009 in Delaware, What Do You Want From Them, Inc. provides another form of training for new supervisors. This company offers social software that new managers can utilize to increase peer-to-peer learning, collaboration and exchange of ideas.
Topics
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New managers should be trained on a large variety of soft skills that will enable them to effectively lead their team. Aim Train, a Business Education and Job Training organization which offers online programs lists presentation skills, communication skills, conflict resolution skills, project management skills, time management skills and organizational skills among those necessary to manage effectively. In addition to these topics, the following areas are also covered at UC Berkeley's New Manager Training Boot Camp: engaging and inspiring others, assembling and retaining the best talent, prioritizing and making quality decisions and navigating your organization's unique power structure to get things done.
Benefits
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LSA Global, a training and consulting firm that focuses on achieving measurable results for their clients by creating a competitive advantage through people states that "the knowledge, skills, and abilities to manage others is not intuitive and, for all but a few, does not come naturally." LSA Global lists the following among the benefits of new management training: increase in performance and organizational productivity, more effective execution of strategic initiatives, greater level of workforce engagement and retention of top performers.
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References
- Coaching Tip: The Leadership Blog: New manager challenges
- Business Solutions: Entry management training for new leaders
- What Do You Want From Them: Training New Managers - Using A Socia Networking Platform
- Aim Train: Mangement Training
- Galima Group Center for UC Berkeley Executive Education: UC Berkeley's New Manager Boot Camp
Resources
- Photo Credit manager image by Alexey Klementiev from Fotolia.com
