Managing isn’t a great experience.
There I said it. It is the elephant in the room whenever I work with a team. Most managers live with double the work and double the expectations.
Work is typically harder and worse for managers than for the people they manage. In fact, managers report more stress, burnout, work-life balance and worse physical well-being than individual contributors (Gallup, 2019, pg. 120).
Managers are also less likely to know what is expected of them. They must be flexible and able to pivot at a moment’s notice. These shifting priorities can leave a manager breathless and exhausted. And, that is just regarding the production side of the business.
We haven’t even begun to consider the stress of managing different personalities, values, goals and individual preferences. Whew! Now that takes some work.
According to a recent Gallup poll, 30% of managers strongly agree that someone at work encourages their development.
Because of this, our team at Human Potential Advisors decided to jump in and support managers with our recently launched monthly book club. Since it filled up so quickly (further making the above point), we decided to dedicate this month helping you better support the managers in your organization.
When considering learning & development training for your People Leaders think of these 6 areas:
- Audit all learning and development and ensure you are building a Strengths based management training culture. It is essential that managers know their own strengths and that they are encouraged to be a better version of themselves. Stop trying to make them into your avatar of what you think a manager should be. No one can be expected to be good at all things.
- Develop a curriculum that considers deep learning on Strengths. Can they name, claim and aim their natural talents at their current role? Do they know their blind spots and weaknesses and have a plan to work around these areas?
- Create and deliver curricula that teaches managers how to go from individual contributor to a coach. Give them some theory to understand the “why” and then give them ways to apply what they’ve learned so that they can use it immediately.
- Deploy some e-learning that help the manager in troubling concepts. Do they struggle with accountability conversations? Do they struggle with time management? Do they struggle with being connected to their staff? There are YouTube videos, TED Talks and LinkedIn Learning that address so many of these issues.
- Create space in YOUR calendar to make them feel seen and heard. Sometimes, solving their problems looks like listening to them. Make sure they feel and understand that you are in this together and that you are FOR them as a person.
- Hire a coach outside of your organization to establish expectations, coach the manager to leverage their strengths and manage their weaknesses, and create accountability around their personal growth.
In this month’s newsletter, you will find books, TED Talks, articles, and video links all geared towards supporting you as you develop your “People Leaders.” We hope this information will inspire your managers to have something tangible that changes how they lead and that their performance has been improved from some of this information.
Please let us know how we can equip your People Leaders to align and strengthen in their current role. Contact us today, we’re here to help. Let’s begin.
