We Need Management Training!

I know it’s going to be a great day when the phone rings and I hear “We need management training!” I truly believe that 1) having great managers positively impacts business results, retention, and engagement; and 2) every manager has the potential to be a great manager.

Management training should not be a “one size fits all” program and just like any effective training program, a “one class and we’re done” approach won’t make much of a difference in developing your managers.

What is needed is a Total Management Learning Approach. Here are steps for developing a great management team:

1. Identify the Best Managers: Wouldn’t be nice if you could clone your best managers? Well why not try! Start by gathering key stakeholders in your organization and have them brainstorm observed behaviors of the best managers and the worst managers in your organization. Target the top 6-8 behaviors for training.
2. Provide Immediate Learning: Why wait for the next scheduled management development class? Say congratulations to a new manager by providing them with the gift of learning. This can be in the form of a book or an e-book to download on their mobile device.
3. Schedule Company Specific Training: The modern learner wants their time to be utilized wisely. All training scheduled should relate to your company’s mission and values and the behaviors identified in the first step. An opportunity to practice actual situations they have or will face on-the-job should be built in the training.
4. Reinforce Skills: Your managers need an opportunity to refresh and remember their skills. This can be in the form of case studies discussed during managerial brown bags sessions, interactive discussion forums on your company’s intranet site, yearly management retreats, or “just in time” tips that can be downloaded on a mobile device. This last suggestion I call the recipe book approach.

What are your Total Management Learning plans and how can Management Skills Resource, Inc. assist you?