I just read a post from the Three Star Leadership Blog on why bad supervisors are bad for you. Now, we all know that bad managers have a negative impact on employee morale and productivity. But Wally’s post referred to a study in Sweden that says there’s a link between leadership quality and employee health.
And, we aren’t talking about health issues like “my boss is a pain in the ass”. We’re talking serious stuff like heart disease and high blood pressure.
Since no one who manages people wants to be responsible for an employee’s heart attack or a lifetime prescription of Levatol, it might be a good idea for companies to make sure their management teams have all the tools necessary to properly manage the workforce.
No one wants to be a bad manager. There are several things companies can do to set their managers up for success. For those people currently in management:
- Find out if they want to be a manager. Believe it or not – I’ve seen a lot of people pressured into management who never wanted to be there in the first place. You don’t have to be a manager to be a valuable employee.
- Make sure that managers know what is expected of them. And, make sure they want to deliver.
- If they need resources or training, give it to them. Training is not an expense…it’s an investment.
When you identify someone who has the desire and potential to be a manager:
- Tell them. Don’t keep this information to yourself hoping you can surprise them someday with a promotion.
- Give them opportunities to learn and grow. They can lead a project or a committee.
Right now, our management teams are being asked to do more with less. If our managers don’t have the skills and support to manage their teams, how can a company expect them to keep the operation going?
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Hayli says
Been there, done that (as the poorly managed, not the bad manager). It’s important for a corporate culture to exist that fosters open discussion of such problems as bad managers. Employees shouldn’t fear discussing these problems with the head supervisor, though that may be a bit of a pipe dream. Workers will always be fearful of losing their job or making their work environment more difficult – especially in these economic times.
Ultimately, top executives need to be willing to identify and recognize problems with bad managers instead of tuning out or burying their head in the sand. It might be underperformance or it might be higher-than-average turnover in that manager’s department. All too often, if the performance results are there, nothing else matters – but everything should matter.
Alora says
I’m always amazed at how often I see technical people given virtually no career development option but management.. only to watch them fail at it miserably. Very few companies do a good job of recognizing, especially in the tech space, that Rock Star individual contributors rarely actually make Rock Star managers. And usually they are miserable the entire time.
iris n. says
Just also wanted to add that various “leadership” articles have shown that an employee’s future success also depends on how good his/her manager is. Thus, having a good manager is important for both the organization, as a whole, as well as for the employee’s future success, regardless of whether the employee chooses to remain in the organization or not.
Managers are the middlemen, the ones who have to report to both the top executives, as well as to their employees. If they aren’t competent enough to handle this dual task, then they really need to get additional training or be replaced with a more competent individual.