Why do so few companies train new managers?
I was reading an interesting DDI study today that essentially reveals that new managers are often left to sink or swim in their first post.
http://www.ddiworld.com/thought-leadership/research/trend-research/findi...
Major findings from the study:
- Only 11 percent of managers are promoted through a formal development program, and half of all managers took their promotion for the money.
- Forty-five percent of managers described their first year as “challenging,” and fifty-seven percent of managers say they learned their leadership skills through trial and error.
- Only 56 percent of managers in their first year have a good understanding of the job, while thirty percent of all managers spend most of their time on administrative tasks.
- Eighty-seven percent of leaders rate their leadership skills highly, but nearly the same number (eighty-nine percent) have at least one leadership “blind spot,” an area where they think they are better than they actually are.
Why do so few companies train new managers?
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I initially thought this was a terrible thing, as I suspect most people do when first reading it, but in hindsight I don't know.
Take learning to drive for instance. I suspect most people could tell a new driver from a more experienced one, yet it's almost certain that the newbie will be following the official rules more closely than the experienced driver.
Maybe it's a similar thing with management and learning by doing is the best way for newbies to get up to speed. If that premise is true then providing a mentor or someone to help out might be the best route rather than sending them on a training course.
Hmmmm; all depends on the person methinks. Some new managers, when dropped in at the deep end, will swim extremely well while others will rapidly sink without trace.
Senior management often, in my experience, go for the sink or swim strategy to 'weed out' those they consider not to have the survival skills or the wherewithal to learn for themselves. Only the strong survive...........
I guess it kind of works.
I think you're right Peter, and for me it's a good strategy. In my eyes leadership is only partly about having the right skills. For me the biggest thing is the personality and the approach someone has to their work. If they have that then they can easily learn the skills required.
Skills can and should be learned. This is different to the application of the skills where other factors come into play:
Personality, Attitude, Willingness to learn, Mental agility, Confidence, Having a mentor, Ethics, Transparency, Effective Communication, and so on.
The other issue is the effectiveness of the organisation's recruitment processes. It is at the recruitement point that the most suitable managers should be selected.
The sink or swim strategy is a very costly way of managing. Not only cost in monitory terms, but also in staff's loyalty, morale, trust etc. And I am not just talking about the managers, but also their teams and other staff. Personally I don't agree with this strategy.
Interesting points Mo. Suppose it comes down to the whole management vs leadership thing doesn't it? Management possibly relies more on skills, whereas leadership relies more on personality?
My view is that all managers are leaders. As a manager your team is always looking to you for direction and support, mentoring, decision making, emotional support and so on. You have to have the right personality to drive processes, initiatives, change management and so on.
Leaders, on the other hand, have to manage their immediate senior managers just the same as other managers.
What differentiates a manager from a leader is the wider picture. A manager is usually more concerned with the immediate, short term, and medium term issues. Leaders are not only concerned with the now, but also the longer term vision for their organisation. It is their vision and beliefs that drive everything else. Leaders should not be averse to getting their hands 'dirty' with management. If you look at the profile of the best leaders past and present, they are there at the front with their managers getting their hands dirty. But it is their vision, aspirations, and unfailing drive to achieve are the characteristics that differentiates them from the rest.
There's a nice piece at Fortune talking about the DDI research. They draw parallels with the political world, in particular, the importance of the first 100 days in office.
http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2011/04/01/just-got-promoted-how-not-t...
"You need to score some early 'wins,' but without moving too fast," he says. "Be decisive, but also take a bit of time to make sure you understand why things are done the way they are now."
Identify a couple of positive changes you could make immediately. Then hold a series of meetings with the people who report to you and get their ideas on what else could be done to improve their chances of meeting those ever-changing targets.