The number one reason people leave an organization is because of a bad manager, not the company. Often, managers don't have the leadership skills to operate effectively in their position. This can lead to dissatisfied employees, low productivity, and high turnover.
Many organizations make the mistake of promoting a great employee to the management level because he/she performed so well at the task-oriented level. While these employees are thrilled about the new promotion, they find themselves lacking leadership skills, leaving them unable to meet the needs of their direct reports.
Does this scenario sound familiar?
Some Perspective
In many cases, managers do not have the skills to perform at the level that is needed to be an effective leader.
Project managers and supervisors have problems managing people for a lot of reasons. They may have the technical talent to do the job, but when it comes to dealing with other human beings, they often lack these skills:
- They don't communicate clearly
- They don't know how to effectively delegate and coach
- They have a problem resolving conflicts
- They focus on attitudes and not behavior
Let's look at a typical scenario, which is often played out time after time in organizations.
Tom is a member of a six-person software development team. Tom made two critical errors on a project that is quickly approaching its deadline. Jen, a team member, fell behind because of Tom's errors, and the other team members began to feel animosity towards both of them. Sharp emails were exchanged among the team members, and progress on the project was grinding to a halt.
Another team member finally came forward to explain the issue to the team leader, who had not been in communication with the team in the last week. The team leader called a meeting and sharply criticized Tom and Jen and then threatened punitive measures against the entire team if the project did not finish on time.
The situation could have been handled better if the team leader had the skills to better manage this team.
A Solution
Some of the most important skills a team leader can have are the abilities to: give direction, evaluate performance, correct work habits, deal with complaints, resolve conflicts, and maintain a team member's self-esteem.
With the proper training, most managers can be saved by resolving their skill set deficiencies. Then they can lead and manage a group of people so they are productive, effective, and more importantly, produce bottom-line results.
Utilizing the skills learned in the Supervision Series program "Essential Skills of Leadership," leaders and managers become effective and productive while encouraging their team members to work together and produce high-level results.
Do your leaders and managers have the essential skills to...
- Maintain or Enhance Team Member Self-Esteem: supporting the team member's sense of respect and dignity?
- Focus on Behavior - dealing with what people do rather than with their attitudes or personal characteristics?
- Encourage Team Member Participation - involving the team in decision-making and problem-solving as a key motivational tool?
To learn more about " Essential Skill of Leadership " or the complete Vital Learning leadership development curriculum download this 4-page PDF or watch this brief video.
The Vital Learning curriculum is available in Classroom, Online, or Blended delivery options and includes the following essential topics...
Delegating - understanding when to use delegation and how to make it motivating
Disciplining - understanding how to discipline others to eliminate problem behavior
Complaints - being able to effectively manage complaints
Coaching - knowing how to productively coach job skills
Project Management - being able to run projects, both on-time and on-budget
Conflict - understanding how to successfully resolve conflict
Hiring Winning Talent- knowing what to do to consistently hire the right talent
Providing Feedback - understanding how to establish performance goals and standards and give feedback
And more...
For detail go to www.TheLearningEngine.org
