Are the best managers of young people teachers at heart?

Submitted by Laura Long on Thu, 20/01/2011 - 20:51

Saw this today.

The best managers of younger employees are people who would otherwise love teaching for a living. They prize helping others grow and tend to overexplain their reasoning for decisions.

http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/01/managing_employees_in_their_tw.html

Are the best managers of young people teachers at heart?

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Submitted by on Fri, 21/01/2011 - 10:34

I'd be inclined to argue that the best managers full stop have that tendency, not just those managing younger workers.

Submitted by Peter Elliott CMgr MCMI on Fri, 21/01/2011 - 11:00 Profile image

I agree with Mike - and I'd suggest that a lot of those recommendations in the blog are equally appropriate to older employees too. Everyone needs to feel appreciated and needed whether they are 20 or 40 and management is about nurturing talent whatever age package it might come in.

As to ‘are the best managers of young people teachers at heart?’; possibly, yes. But there’s difference between teaching 20-somethings that are keen to learn and develop and, perhaps, rebellious teens that maybe aren’t. I for one would find it terribly uncomfortable trying to teach something to a class of kids that really didn’t want to be there but I can always find time for someone who is keen to learn and progress.

Submitted by Charlie Fox on Fri, 21/01/2011 - 11:24

Interesting blog with some interesting tips on how to 'educate' younger staff.

Throw them into the deep end on their first day
Publicly reward junior team members who are doing a great job
Ask frequent questions
Younger employees are often shyer than their older counterparts, so invite interaction not just with yourself, but with others throughout the company
Give them personal attention
Do not make the rookie mistake of creating false reasons for praise
Emphasize long-term rewards, and set an example
Set very short-term projects
Fire those who are not performing
For the same reason, fire toxic employees immediately, especially if they have any interaction with younger people
Beware of setting up A+ 22-year-olds with 28-year-old managers
And finally, wear authority lightly

Some really good points there about management in general. It's interesting that in the comments someone regards some of these as patronizing, in particular ones about asking questions of your young employee. For me it'd be the exact opposite, and that having a manager that takes an interest in what I'm doing and what I'm thinking would motivate me tremendously. Certainly much more than one who's aloof and locked away in their office working on 'operational' things.

Submitted by Mike Davies on Thu, 27/01/2011 - 09:14

There's a nice piece here about this very topic.

http://blogs.forbes.com/sap/2011/01/26/can-you-learn-to-multiply/

"Multipliers, on the other hand, amplify others’ intelligence and abilities. They inspire people to overcome obstacles, to generate new ideas, and to deliver results that surpass expectation.

Not surprisingly, Wiseman and McKeown found that Multipliers have a positive and profitable effect on organizations."

Sums it up nicely.