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#Leadership : 4 Ways Your Leadership Development Is Failing Managers…Companies, after All, Don’t Choose Managers by Drawing Names Out of a Hat. So, How Do Good Employees Become Bad Managers?

Nobody sets out to become a bad manager, but the fact of the matter is, there are a lot of bad ones out there.

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The 2015 State of the American Manager: Analytics and Advice for Leadersreport from Gallup analyzed the engagement levels of 27 million employees worldwide. It found that managers accounted for at least 70 percent of variance in employee-engagement scores.

Since a subsequent, 2016, Gallup report looking at approximately 1,500 employees found that only 35 percent of employees surveyed were actually engaged, the obvious conclusion is that it’s time to rethink what constitutes good management.

Companies, after all, don’t choose managers by drawing names out of a hat. They look at the qualities and potential of current employees and try to determine who has performed well and has what it takes. So, the question becomes, how do good employees stray off the path and become bad managers?

Let’s take a look at how leaders can guide managers through leadership development and help them effectively develop and grow:

Create career paths.

Leadership development and the path to becoming a good manager starts long before an employee is offered the position. Throughout their career, employees who want to become managers need opportunities to gain the necessary experience to become great managers.

Start employees off right by defining clear career paths that show what they can do to fit into the role in the future. Provide them with clear steps and guidance so they understand that they — and their future — are being invested in by the organization. Make sure you show them how each step in their development will help them achieve their individual career goals as well as contribute to the company.

Employees who step up will make it easier to identify which employees are interested in management opportunities as well as which ones are most qualified. That will make it easier to eliminate options that might become bad managers in the future.

Related Book: Real Leaders Don’t Follow by Steve Tobak

 

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Provide consistent training.

Management is a skill. It has to be learned, which is why many organizations offer training to help develop new managers. The problem is that a short course in how to run a team isn’t enough to let all that knowledge truly sink in and help people form good management habits.

Grovo’s 2016 Good Manager, Bad Manager report looked at responses from 500 middle managers and more than 500 employees. It found that 33 percent of respondents said they hardly ever received follow-up sessions to reinforce their management training. That is why it’s no surprise that 80 percent of managers who change their behavior after management training go back to their old ways in just six months or less.

Training is not a set-it-and-forget-it-scenario. Maintain an ongoing leadership development program for all managers. Don’t just assume they understand and let them be. Provide real-time support for their behaviors and actions by checking in to make sure they are putting the information into action. Repetition will ensure that good management practices become more engrained in the way they lead each and every day.

Evaluate managers.

The aforementioned Grovo report found that 84 percent of managerial respondents believed their companies needed a better way to evaluate managers and their abilities. That type of thinking leads to the wrong type of management behavior being rewarded by the organization. Of the managers surveyed by Grovo, 74 percent said ineffective managers were frequently praised or promoted for their performance.

When managers are improperly evaluated, that action sends the message that bad management is what a company values, what  it rewards. Avoid this by establishing clear criteria of what good management looks like. Share these standards and expectations, not only with managers, but also with employees, so they can know if their superiors are providing the right type of leadership.

Also hold regular evaluations with managers. Discuss their performance and offer feedback from senior leadership as well as those they manage. That way, as soon as a manager begins to veer off the good management path, he or she can be guided back on track.

Build an accountability culture.

Good managers hold themselves accountable. They take responsibility for their mistakes and work to find solutions. They don’t try to pass the buck or take credit for others’ successes. Unfortunately, after gaining more power, many people forget these values.

Emphasize the importance of taking ownership of one’s work throughout the organization. Have clear methods to track individual and company goals so each employee can see how he or she is contributing. Make sure everyone knows whom the team’s performance reflects upon.

If a project fails, is everyone accountable or is the manager? Employees at all levels will be encouraged to be accountable once there’s an understanding about who is responsible for what, and how progress is measured.

Related: Why You Need to Invest in a Leadership Development Program

Becoming an excellent manager is a process. It doesn’t happen overnight. To ensure that good employees don’t become bad managers, organizations must have a clear picture of what leadership development looks like — and then communicate it.

 

Entrepreneur.com | November 15, 2016 | Andre Lavoie

#Leadership : What Bad Bosses Can Teach You About Good Leadership…List of 10 Things a Bad Boss can Teach you about Good Leadership, for the Day When you Might Have his (or her) Job

A lot has been written about what makes a bad boss, or about bosses to avoid or signs you are working for a bad boss. And then what – leave? To go where? Today’s business world is so precarious may of us don’t know if we’ll be in the same company from one week to the next, let alone report to the same person.

Free- Man at Desktop

In the belief that the only thing you can really change in the world is your point of view, I offer this list of 10 things a bad boss can teach you about good leadership, for the day when you might have his (or her) job…

1. Mutual respect. I had a boss once who – in staff meetings – would actually sneer at those with whom she disagreed, who wouldn’t hesitate to openly criticize someone’s efforts. This is one step shy of public ridicule. The result was a marked decline in initiative and innovation and a general malaise of spirit within the department that was noticeable and remarked upon by senior management. Ultimately her behavior outweighed performance in removing her from her position.

To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart.” —Eleanor Roosevelt

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2. Communication is a two-way street. One boss had three styles when it came to communicating with staff verbally, and “listening” wasn’t one of them: bullying, pontificating, and droning on. The message that came through was that she really didn’t much care what anyone else thought or had to say. The result? People toed the line and had a field day mimicking her behind her back.

“The day the soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help them or concluded that you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership.” —Colin Powell

3. Know who’s the boss. If that’s your title, then it’s you. You don’t have to hold off making a decision until the last minute to watch your staff scramble to meet the deadline just so they’ll know who has the authority around here. That’s sabotage.

A leader … is like a shepherd. He stays behind the flock, letting the most nimble go out ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realizing that all along they are being directed from behind.” —Nelson Mandela

4. Pay staff well and equitably. I once had a boss who suggested I hire a women for an open position because it would be cheaper than hiring a man. I didn’t. Make it cheaper, that is. A salary is a sign of worth, and if someone learns he or she is being paid less than someone else doing the same kind of job, you can leave yourself open to legal action. That’s in addition to being a jerk.

“Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” —Peter F. Drucker

5. Hire good people, share your vision, and then let them get on with it in their own way. Don’t let your staff’s competence make you uncomfortable or nervous. You’re there to lead an entire team, to clear the path for them so you can reach your targets — not meddle in their daily work.

“Don’t tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results.” General George Patton

6. Give the credit; take the blame. Too often, it’s the other way around, with the boss taking on for him- or herself the team’s achievements while offloading failure. That’s exploitation. This tactic fools no one, no matter which end of the corporate ladder you’re trying to impress.

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” —Martin Luther King, Jr.

7. Don’t play favorites. I had one boss whose principle business relationship centered around his second in command. The two played tennis together, their families went to dinner together. That left the other 96 people working at that company out in the cold. So none of them could (or would?) come to the rescue when eventually the Board of Directors, tired of lackluster performance from the CEO, ousted him one day… and his sidekick followed. Aside from putting yourself at risk of corporate lynching, playing favorites sidelines the valuable talents of everyone else.

“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.” —Antoine de Saint-Exupry

8. Keep your distance. I don’t mean “aloof’ — as in the sense of being cold or void of compassion. But there needs to be a bit of a “no fly zone” between you and your staff. The people over whom you have some control, and on whose efforts your company relies, shouldn’t have to bear the burden of your personal problems.

“Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them.” —John C. Maxwell (contemporary American author, pastor and speaker)

9. Lead by example. This almost goes without saying. Actions always speak louder than words. Say less, if you have to.

“Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing.” —Albert Schweitzer

10. Trust your people. If you don’t, you may find yourself on the receiving end of words and deeds that are not as promised, whereas sometimes bestowing trust on someone is enough to make him or her live up to expectations. The trust you give out comes back to you.

“There is a difference between being a leader and being a boss. Both are based on authority. A boss demands blind obedience; a leader earns his authority through understanding and trust.” —Klaus Balkenhol (German equestrian and 1992 Olympic gold medalist)

And finally, be comfortable in your own skin:

It’s hard to lead a cavalry charge if you think you look funny on a horse.” —Adlai E. Stevenson II

Follow me on Twitter @sckarabell1

 

Forbes.com | June 6, 2016 |  Shellie Karabell – CONTRIBUTOR : I cover leadership – people, politics & policy – from a European view