I have been in recruiting, project management and leadership coaching for many years. In this time, I have seen that managers have a lot on their plates, regardless of industry. Many of these managers started off as high-performing individual contributors who were rewarded for their hard work and dedication by being given a team to now manage.
The opportunity to be a manager brings responsibility and more influence within the organization. But the big question I typically encounter is, “Where do I start? I’ve never been trained in how to be an effective manager.”
In my experience, new managers typically get quick training on how to approve timecards and time off requests, along with an unsaid goal of managing people to success. That’s it.
Most managers I talk to, regardless of being a new manager or a manager for over 20 years, rarely receive formal training on how to be a manager. In fact, more than 70% of the estimated 24 million managers in the United States have received no people management training at all, or the training was capped at just four hours. When you think about the impact a manager has on the success of their employees, their team, and the organization’s success, it seems wild that organizations don’t invest more in teaching managers how to manage. But I get it. It’s tempting to think that because someone is a top performer at an individual level, they will naturally be good at managing others. However, being a good manager is much more than being a strong individual contributor. It takes strong communication skills, the ability to influence others, and make good decisions. Knowing how to adjust your approach based on the person you are working with is crucial to having an impact—whether giving them constructive feedback or recognition for a job well done. Aspects of being an effective manager may come naturally to some people, but to be really great at it, we have a few things to learn.
One way Engage2Excel supports managers is through The Employee-Centric Manager Training Program. With this program, we survey your organization’s managers and their direct reports. Managers will receive a report to provide insights into where they stand for each attribute. We will conduct a 1-day workshop to dive deeper into each attribute, identify the most impactful areas for improvement for each manager, demonstrate how to make those improvements and wrap up the day with a clear action plan to become a more effective and Employee-Centric manager.
Managers who have participated in this training benefit from self-reflection and gain value from hearing fellow managers faced with similar situations. They are reminded how important it is to create simple moments of recognition and support their employees in the way that is most meaningful to the employee. Here are some quotes from participants of the ECM training:
“I feel like I became a more qualified, more confident manager today. Thank you!”
“Data-driven content to be the best manager I can be.”
“The open conversations with real-life examples were the most valuable of the session. Loved the upward feedback report.”
The ECM training program helps fill the gap in manager training. It helps create self-awareness for the manager and clarifies what matters most to employees. It’s simple, it’s measurable, and it’s directly correlated to the success of managers. As stated in the book The Employee-Centric Manager, Dr. Wiley found that how employees rate managers on the ECM attributes determines two-thirds of their overall effectiveness rating. Arming managers with this insight and knowledge will undoubtedly contribute to the success of any organization.
If you are interested in learning more about Employee–Centric Manager Training (ECM), feel free to reach out to me personally at lminchin@engage2excel.com.
If you would like to read Leslie’s previous blogs on this topic (series of 3), click the following links: Give Managers the Feedback They Need and The ECM Training Experience.
