Interesting post over at G.Neil’s HR Forum blog about people saying “thanks but no thanks” to roles in management. How about that? They quote Randstad’s World of Work survey as saying there’s a 50/50 split between people who aspire to become management and those who don’t. The reasons – too much stress, grouchy employees, and boatloads of paperwork.
Honestly, the info from Randstad isn’t surprising. What’s surprising is that companies aren’t doing more to change the perception of the role of management. Shame, shame.
I really struggle with the notion that companies can’t/won’t/don’t offer training and resources to help make managers successful. C’mon people, this is just so elementary. When employees have the training and tools to do their job, then productivity is better. Maximizing productivity equals a better bottom line for the company.
I always thought a key role of management is to take care of the people who take care of the customer.
Srully Blotnick said, “The evidence unmistakably indicates that you have to spend money in order to make money.” The money you want to spend is on things that improve the customer experience. A critical part of that includes your management team. If they aren’t effective, can you really expect anyone else to be?
If companies want people to assume management responsibilities, they need to demonstrate that people will get the training and resources to do their job. No one is going to take a position if they think they’re being set up to fail.
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Dan Waldron says
I finally decided to write a comment on your blog. I just wanted to say good job. I really enjoy reading your posts.
Wally Bock says
Great post. There are two issues here.
One is that companies don’t help new managers succeed. When I was first moved up to manager in business years ago, there was no training. When one daughter was promoted to team leader about two years ago, there was no training. When another daughter was promoted to manager at about the same time, her company (noted, BTW for its progressive HR, at least according to them) gave her a book about a fish market.
New managers need training and special support during their transition which last a year to a year and a half, not the day or so most companies seem to think. All managers need some training and ongoing support. Why don’t we do it? I think it’s because the results aren’t obvious for a while and we’re short-term oriented.
The other issue is that an awful lot of people have become managers because that was the only way to promotion and preferment. So we’ve promoted people who don’t have much possibility of succeeding into jobs they may hate. What a great example! No wonder many people are now leery of taking the job.
Bottom line. We’ve promoted a lot of people who didn’t have the personality or temperament into management roles and then forced them to figure thing out on their own. Because of that, a number of people who do have the personality and temperament to become good managers, quite sensibly don’t want to take the risk.
Michael H. says
That managers are getting training is kind of disturbing. Aside from all of the job skills, without training, they aren’t picking up leadership skills or the foundation for avoiding legal issues. Its slightly terrifying to me the number of laws, from Title VII, FMLA, ADA, and many more. You put an untrained manager in charge of people without proper training on these issues you are just asking for a lawsuit.
Michael H. says
I meant to say “aren’t” getting proper training…good lord, I haven’t had my coffee yet.
Jennifer V. Miller says
To add to Wally’s observation…even people with the temperment AND the training opportunities are opting out. Becoming a manager is no longer perceived as “not worth the hassle” as Sharlyn asserts.
When I was an internal T&D practitioner tasked with creating leadership development opportunities, we constantly had to work against this perception. This company had the training in place to educate incoming managers, and it did a good job of placing the right people in the right jobs. However, potential leadership candidates saw what their bosses faced each day and said “no way.”
So the question becomes, do you “spiff up the opportunity” (Marketing approach) or do you change the opportunity in a meaningful way that will encourage people to want to do the job?
Allyson Smith says
Excellent post – I don’t find the info from Randstad surprising either. Another reason not noted here could be work/life balance or even full accountability (with so many CEOs heads on the chopping block lately). But you’re right, so few companies do training well. That’s typically the first expense line to get cut.
Marie says
I’d like to second Michael’s point on this one – there’s too much at stake not to provide new managers with the training they need. From harassment to ADA and everything in between, you’re risking more than failure by putting an untrained employee into a management position.
hr bartender says
First of all, a welcome shout out to Dan. Great to hear from you!
It sounds like we’re all on the same bandwagon…manager training is important. But, Jennifer brings up a good question. When it comes to recruiting managers, is training enough? That might be fuel for another post though . . .
Jennifer V. Miller says
Sharlyn,
I’m a fan of collaborative blogging. If you decide to blog about the role of training/recruiting in succession planning, I’d love to chime in on my blog. Send me a DM via Twitter @JenniferVMiller if you want to pursue.
You have a great community going here.
Jen
Maria Weyman says
Training -> Productivity -> Better Bottom Line
It is an elementary concept, and yet. Thanks for the reminder.
Dan McCarthy says
Sharlyn,
So many people want to or don’t want to get into management for the wrong reasons. We’ve had some success running “so you want to be a leader” programs for employees early in their careers to dispel some of the common myths. Topics include compensation, relocation, interests and motivations (using an assessment tool), and day-in-the-life panels with newly promoted leaders.