6 Tips to Set Managers Up for Success
Successful companies foster internal success. To do so, it requires a combination of a dynamic and diligent workforce led by capable, agile leaders. To build such leaders, a company needs to think about the success of every manager. On a personal and departmental level, the development of each manager’s talent enhances the potential for your company to succeed.
As people professionals, you can do your part in setting managers up for success across the company. Here are six tips to encourage new and veteran managers on your team for success.
Setting New Managers Up for Success
Discuss the pain points and challenges of the role
For some reason, a handful of leaders tend to gloss over the realities of a role. If you are in that camp, you’re likely setting your managers up for failure.
Instead, lay out the details of the role. Be transparent with your new managers. Lay out the goals and expectations of the position just as you did when offering them the job in the first place. Show them the pain points the company has and what they would like to achieve. Give them a clear picture, so your new manager knows exactly what’s expected.
These new managers likely have their eyes on future growth as well. Set the bar for them on day one by laying out what is needed to succeed on this level. In doing so, they will begin to develop the leadership traits that will carry with them to the next level when ready.
If the role is particularly involved, you don’t need to overwhelm them with every detail in the first meeting. However, you can explain just that to them. From there, you can stagger the details in as they become acclimated to the position.
Use relevant learning resources, not generic manager training
New managers need training just like any new hire. When giving them their training, do your company a favor and use relevant and updated resources. Too often, the resources companies use consist of generic information. While that is a decent overview, it won’t delve into the specifics of the role they are hired to perform. What is right for a marketing manager may not be applicable to product development.
Top people professionals seek out the specifics. Start internally to gather your information. The department may already have training resources and programs to set up new management. In other cases, you may need to look externally to find suitable information. Whichever is the case, be sure that your training goes beyond an initial talk. Have leadership development as a regular occurrence. For extra emphasis, consider leadership learning and coaching as a regular happening in everyone’s career to promote continuous development.
Set up networks/mentoring in and out of the office
Continue training and career development with mentors and networking for your new managers. It is likely that they already have some network established and could use your help connecting with more leadership. Point them in the direction of people internally, and consider externally as well. If the role has been previously established, reach out to past managers who held the position.
The situation is ideal if your previous manager is still in the company. If not, try reaching out to past managers. Then, tap into your other network connections and see who else could be of help, like partner companies in similar spaces that can impart some helpful information. With going outside the company entirely, look for online and local industry associations as well as partner companies you work with.
Setting Experienced Managers Up for Success
Challenge managers to raise their standards
You don’t have to be a whip cracker to promote higher standards in the workplace. Instead, encourage your managers to reevaluate their current performance expectations. Challenge them to examine their output and conclude that the work is up to par. In some cases, it may be already. However, the majority of us can discover at least one or two areas that can be tweaked for a better output.
Unless this manager is lagging behind, avoid singling one manager out. Instead, install this as a team-wide initiative. How can everyone improve the standards of the job? Think of this as the “work smarter, not harder” approach. With a team-wide vision to increase performance without overloading everyone’s deck, everyone can bring their work to the next level.
Evaluate your strategic vision and resources
The executives are the ones to set the company’s overall outlook. That, however, does not mean that management shouldn’t have a concept as well. Their vision is one built for the department and how it plays into the bigger image of the business.
Ask your managers open-ended questions about their departments. What would they like their department to be doing? How do they want to see themselves in comparison to the industry? How can we set ourselves apart? Moreso, how can you do this within your department’s functions? Within each role, the company has or can create opportunities to set itself apart. From outstanding customer service to a superior product, challenge leadership to assess their vision from time to time. Doing so can open opportunities for everyone to advance.
After looking at your vision, it is best to analyze the resources at hand. Have managers assess what they have regarding budget, team members, tools and the other essential elements that power the team.
Ideally, every adjustment can be made within their current budget — even better if the changes save you money. However, in a decent amount of instances, you’ll find that the budgets do not align. This could require some maneuvering of assets and budgets. Or, it could mean putting some excellent ideas on hold for a bit so that it fits into the big picture correctly. This outcome is never ideal, but it is a reality of the business. If that becomes the case, continue to discuss the project and refine it as the company moves along so that it is always ready for implementation.
Setting All Managers Up for Success
As your company’s human resources leader, be sure to show managers of all skills levels how to effectively address their team’s needs and circumstances. Too often, managers are focused on addressing day to day tasks. However, these types often lack the ability to motivate their team. Work with new and senior managers to understand how to motivate, encourage and mentor their team to ongoing success. Show them the behaviors that build trust and how to implement them into short- and long-term vision of the department.
Both new and established managers can use the occasional push to reach their goals. As people professionals, you can do your part by starting new leaders out with the right information the day they start their new job. When working with already hired managers, promote a work culture that challenges every person to look at their role, functions, and ideas within the company.
