New Managers: Are You Training Them Right?

Helen Wilkie

by

Changing the way you train your new managers: whats in it for you?

This white paper challenges the value of traditional management training as it pertains to new and recently appointed managers. It then offers a new model that specically addresses the needs of this demographic, and how the change can affect an organizations protability.

Changing the Way You Train New Managers: Whats in it for You?

You set your organizational goals on the assumption that the necessary resources will be in place to accomplish them. Those resources include managers at all levels who are not only familiar with the workings of the company, but also competent in the skills of management.

In the case of new and recently appointed managers, these assumptions are not necessarily valid.
Most new managers start from a position of having little or no knowledge of the skills and processes of management. Thats natural, but too often companies act as if it isnt true or doesnt matter. In an interview with Personnel Today in May 2006, for example, the human resources journal IRS Employment Review commented that companies expect their managers to train others without themselves having the skills to do so. New managers generally do receive training on companyspecic management issues and processes. However, without at least some knowledge of the universal skills and principles of management, this is like trying to build a house without knowing how to lay the foundations. That rst move into management is a big leap that creates stress for the employees and often produces a disappointing early result for the company. Lets examine why this is so.

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Setting the business context and dening expectations of the organization is an executive function. It then falls to management to create the necessary structures and processes, and to lead employees towards the achievement of the goals. Even discussing these goals, however, can induce panic in a new manager who has no knowledge of people skills, no experience of strategic thinking or problem solving, and only a sketchy notion of project management and all the other activities needed to manage. This panic increases stress, reduces effectiveness and can render new managers incapable of meeting objectives.

Why are new managers stressedand why should you care?

New and recently appointed managers are among the most highly-stressed individuals in the workplace. There are three main reasons for this. First, on being appointed to management they must leave behind the everyday work they know well. Because these tasks lie in their comfort zone, however, they are reluctant to let them go. This not only takes them away from their new, more challenging duties, but also undermines the efforts of the employees who are supposed to take over the work. Second, they nd themselves above the level of people who have been their co-workers and often their friends, and who might now report to them. This can be traumatic for new and inexperienced managers, for whom the line between colleague and friend is often blurred, and dealing with it is one of the most stressful challenges they face. Finally, there is the stress of learning a whole set of new skills while juggling the day-to-day work of their departmentand feeling

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inadequate for the job. This problem is exacerbated by a very natural human reluctance to voice their concerns for fear of jeopardizing this new stage of their career. For many new managers, this stress results in one of two situations, both costly for the organization. 1. Faced with a new and dramatically different work experience, some feel they may not be cut out for management, and since they cant go back to where they were, they are left with no choice but to leave. Resultthe company loses a promising employee and incurs the substantial expense of replacement. 2. Others stay on, but disengage. They put their energies into creating an illusion of competence, going through the motions but progressing little and contributing less. Management turnover is a huge nancial cost for employers, even at the lower management levels. It is estimated that the replacement cost for one employee can run anywhere from 75% to 150% of an employees annual salary, and may even reach 250% for more senior positions. If young managers become discouraged enough to leave, the nancial impact can be substantial. Although more difcult to quantify, the cost of the second situation is just as worrisome, and over the long term perhaps more so. Managers who are simply muddling through while trying to hide the fact that they are out of their depth can have a devastating effect on the productivity of their departments and the company as a whole. Whats more, those who report to them sense the lack of leadership and their morale suffers, pulling the whole department into a downward spiral. There is abundant documentation demonstrating that employee stress results in high levels of absenteeism, with its related costs. For example, a 2005 survey by CCH Incorporated, a leading provider

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of human resources and employment law information, estimated the average cost per employee at U.S.$660, which for some larger companies translates into over $1 million annually. An article in HR Management cites a study by The University of Western Australia, which puts annual absenteeism costs at Aus.$2 billion in the private sector and Aus.$5 billion in the public sector.

A brief look at market drivers

pace and constant change in the business environment and the increasing diversity of the workplace are just a few of the factors driving organizations to help new managers contribute at their optimum level quickly, and with the least possible disruption to the work of the organization. In 2006 Michael Martin, Irelands Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, cited skilled management as a key driver of Irelands recent economic success, and also as a requirement for the continuation of that success. According to Martin, there is a clear correlation between skilled management and competitive growth. It follows, therefore, that new and recently appointed managers must acquire and sharpen their management skills as quickly as possible in order to contribute to the companys success. According to talent management consultants Bersin & Associates of Oakland, California, leadership development and management training received by far the largest share of total training expenditures in the U.S. in 2006. This trend is likely to continue in 2007. The largest investment of time and money (including so-called company universities) is typically dedicated to those at higher levels of management, with less allocated to new managers. The need to accomplish more with fewer resources, the fast

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Changing the Way You Train New Managers: Whats in it for You?

As we will now discuss, however, traditional training models may not serve the specic needs of new and recently appointed managers.

Drawbacks of traditional training models

Traditional management training typically consists of single, time-limited workshops or seminars. The length of the event varies by position level, function or business discipline, and size and structure of the employer organization. For new managers, this model has inherent shortcomings: into a short time is overwhelming and often leads to feelings of panic. The large amounts of new information that must be crammed

Participants cant put the new learning into practice until the course is over, leaving no opportunity to ask questions of instructors or colleagues after they try the techniques in the course of their jobs. In-house management training often incorporates companyspecic material. Although well-intentioned, this practice confuses the issues, and too often fundamental management skills dont receive adequate attentionfor example, product training masquerades as sales management training. As a result, managers must focus on current projects and are left to learn management skills by osmosis. This defeats the purpose of the training. Courses take new managers away from their tasks at exactly the time when they need to give all their energies to the job. Not only does this dilute their concentration, but when the course is nished, the urgency of the day-to-day job activities leaves little time or opportunity to implement the new learning. There is an emphasis on leadership skills, including concepts like authenticity, cultural t, conceptual thinking. These are, of course, important, but inexperienced managers are struggling with the practical challenges of running meetings, making presentations, managing

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difcult employees, hiring and ring team members and a plethora of other everyday management activities. New managers can strongly relate to the old expression, When youre up to your ears in alligators, its hard to concentrate on draining the swamp!

Current alternative training models still fail new managers

Some of the other models now increasingly available are not complete solutions: E-learning is convenient there is no need to go anywhere to train. Although learning on their own schedule can be a benet, however, too often new managers never nd enough time. They feel guilty about taking the time to learn, and the training never takes place. The lack of human interaction is also a negative, particularly for new managers, who need to be able to ask questions and get answers to their concerns. While technology offers a variety of new training vehicles which shouldnt be ignored, there is no substitute for interaction with a live human being. Human interaction must form at least a part of any program offered to new managers if the training is to be effective. Coaching and mentoring are often cited as the new model for management education, but this is misleading. While coaching and mentoring are hugely benecial, they are largely useless to those who do not have a grounding in the basic skills. The value of ongoing coaching lies in helping people to improve the way they use their skills, not in teaching the skills themselves. To put this into perspective, a golf coach can help you improve your swing, but you rst need to learn the purpose of each club as well as the game itself.

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Changing the Way You Train New Managers: Whats in it for You?

New managers need a new approach

What is needed is a new approach, a new training model specically tailored to the needs of new and recently appointed managers. This model should: Focus on universal management principles. At the more senior management levels, issues are more situation-specic, but the problems facing new managers are universal in nature. Outside consultants are best equipped to provide participants with a grounding in the universal skills of management, which in turn makes managers more receptive to the company-specic applications which can be taught by in-house trainers or even imparted by more senior managers. Provide for ongoing on-the-job learning. One-time programs, whether they last for half a day or two weeks, leave participants wondering how to put the techniques into practice while putting out the res of everyday workplace life. An effective training program will allow managers opportunities to implement the newly learned practices and techniques and discuss the results. Make use of technology where appropriate, but also of the human element so essential to effective learning. Cover practical skills for management tasks such as running meetings, interviewing job applicants, planning and goal setting, etc., as well as conceptual subjects such as emotional intelligence and leadership.

Explore the concept of career management. This should include the importance of taking responsibility for their careers, and the best practices on how to do so. Follow the principles of adult learning by conveying information about the subject, providing examples of real-world

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application, and nally giving guidance on how to implement the ideas in the workplace.

The Managers Journey

At MHW Communications, our years of experience in a range of workplaces tells us that while being appointed as a manager is an event, becoming a manager is a journey. Our training and development program for new and recently appointed managers is, therefore, called The Managers Journey and the participants are Travellers.

The Managers Journey is an online progra divided into twelve monthly stages, each of which focuses on one management area. The vehicle for the journey is a monthly hourlong audio program, supported and expanded by information and learning tools provided to Travellers throughout the month to help them through each stage.
Travellers can buy a ticket for The Managers Journey online at http://www.themanagersjourney.com

For more information on The Managers Journey, e-mail hwilkie@mhwcom.com or call 416-966-5023. You can speak directly to Helen Wilkie, the Ofcial Guide for The Managers Journey. MHW Communications 90 Warren Road, Suite 202 Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4V 2S2 416-966-5023 www.mhwcom.com Copyright 2007, MHW Communications.

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