These days, the role of the manager is changing. Throughout history, successful managers have assumed the role of coach and mentor. On the way to and from work, while drinking coffee, or while eating a hamburger after working hours, they would convey essential information and knowledge related to the organization’s culture. Even more formal conversations, such as one-on-one meetings and small get-togethers, conveyed their views and opinions to employees. This incredibly valuable information was not found in a textbook, a class, or a piece of software, but rather from someone with years—even decades—of experience.
But today, tighter budgets, flatter organizational structures, high workloads, and too many direct reports usually leave no opportunity—and sometimes no skill—for managers to take on the responsibility of being a coach and mentor. However, this feature is essential for the long-term health and productivity of the organization.
This gradual weakening of the manager’s role has not gone unnoticed. As part of a recent research project on executives’ views of training and development programs, managers strongly believed that the most serious problem they face is getting managers to coach employees. Also, according to executives, even worse, a challenge is that they are above all helpless to find and implement effective solutions.
Methods of training successful managers
The following recommendations are the easiest and most effective way possible to develop successful managers in any business. Stay with us.
1. Use person-to-person evaluation regularly.
Regular appraisals, as opposed to waiting for an annual performance review, allow you to work in parallel with the reports you’ve prepared yourself and continually provide insight, knowledge, guidance, and suggestions to help them solve pressing issues and problems. solve, and stay on track with professional development goals. This is one of the most powerful tools you can use to develop successful managers. Some of the managers we talk to take advantage of this tip and schedule regular monthly—and sometimes even weekly—phone or face-to-face conversations.
2. Encourage more peer-to-peer mentoring.
Peer-to-peer mentoring provides the richest and most valuable learning in an organization. An easy way to make more use of this type of learning is to use staff meetings as problem-solving sessions. This will bring your team together, and push them to think creatively about tough organizational challenges. Also, an easy way for you is to coach several people in the same scene at the same time, thereby maximizing efficiency and using optimal time.
3. Establish the method of training through mentoring of working couples.
Michael Arena, GM‘s chief talent officer, says, “One of the richest trainings I’ve experienced is through reverse training, where a new generation employee and an older employee are partnered and agree to share the lessons they’ve learned,” so Pay attention to the formation of pairs of different populations (generations). Being older, they probably have considerable institutional/organizational knowledge and accumulated a lot of work experience that will be useful to the younger generation, while the younger generation probably knows all about the latest and greatest technologies and how to quickly obtain any information that they can apply to their partner. transfer
4. Identify anyone who is born to be a mentor immediately.
Within many people lies a well of information and knowledge waiting to be shared with the larger team. You can allow your team members to conduct mini-seminars on their own about an important topic or skill, encouraging them to be coaches. Or if your organization offers software or apps, like its private YouTube channel, or intranet, encourage them to create their own learning content, and share their reports and recommendations for access to the best learning activities.
Don Johns, former vice president of learning at Natixis Global Asset Management, shared this example in a recent interview:
“Employees are becoming the ‘content writers’ of our learning organization.” Imagine a top salesperson promoting a particular product. He then uploads this content, and others in the organization can share his thoughts and opinions through the Salesforce umbrella, or other online discussion groups. This is an example of the free flow of knowledge that can be exchanged within an organization. It energizes employees, and encourages them to engage in learning.”
5. Support daily learning and educational activities.
We’ve often heard from senior leaders of learning that employees regularly claim they don’t participate in learning activities because they think their managers don’t support them. It is your duty to change this perception. Create an environment that is not only acceptable but also encouraging to use office time to engage in learning activities. Suggest that they learn a little content during the day whenever their schedule allows; Or look for creative and engaging ways to incorporate learning and development into your employees’ daily activities.
6. Seek formal training.
It seems obvious, but if you want your employees to participate in continuous learning activities, you have to model this behaviour yourself. Consider formal training to improve and enhance your hard and soft skills, whether it’s taking a class, a certification course, completing more formal management education, or taking a leadership training course. In today’s modern world, you have countless opportunities for graduate education, virtual education programs, distance education, residential courses, or hybrid programs. Pursuing a more formal training program is one of the wisest investments you can make in your advancement.
Managers have a tremendous impact on an organization’s ability to attract and retain top talent, and within an organization, they will always remain a trusted source for transferring knowledge, skills, and perspectives to others.
The good news is that great coaches aren’t born, they’re made with hard work, persistence, and practice. Take action and actively work to be a better coach. In this way, you can increase not only your own performance, but also the performance of your team, and in the same way, the performance of the organization.