Twenty years ago, getting promoted to manager was a major milestone. Today it’s a punishment.
That’s according to recent research from LinkedIn. In a survey of more than 10,000 LinkedIn users, nearly 7 in 10 said they would leave their job if they had a bad manager. But only 30% said they want to become a people manager within the next few years.
So, why the change? Why doesn’t anyone want to be the boss anymore?
We could sum up the answer in seven words: Nobody showed them how to lead effectively.
The data backs this up. Global consulting firm West Monroe surveyed 500 managers and found that 66% of those received eight hours or less of manager training. Of those who had been managers for less than a year, a stunning 43% had received no training at all.
Why is this lack of training so problematic? And, more importantly, how can you inspire and prepare the next generation of leaders at your organization?
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The leadership training gap
The problem is the skills that get people promoted aren’t the ones that help them excel at the next level.
Management experts Ram Charan, Stephen Drotter, and James Noel explore this concept in their book The Leadership Pipeline. They describe five different leadership roles:
- Leading self
- Leading others
- Leading leaders
- Functional leaders
- Business leaders
The passage from one role to another requires new learning and new behavior, assert the authors. What’s more, they say, the leader who transitions from one role to the next has to acquire a new way of leading and leave the old ways behind. This calls for a fundamental adjustment in skills and in the way you use your time.
The challenge here is that many of the things leaders need to stop doing are things they enjoy doing and which have brought them success.
For example, a sales manager may be great at closing deals. But once he or she is promoted, closing deals on their own should no longer be the most important thing. Rather, they should be concerned with helping their reports to excel—for example, clarifying target setting, giving emotionally intelligent feedback, and coaching and development.
This change in perspective will affect everything from what they believe is important to how they define success and how they allocate their time. It will also impact the effect they have on their people and the organization as a whole.
The change in perspective should continue as a leader continues to transition across roles.
A leader of leaders must recruit the right leaders and hold them accountable for their role in developing their people.
A functional leader has to not only lead but also build competitive advantages and agendas that enable the company to do things better than competitors.
A business leader’s focus is long term, but he or she must also stay in touch with the short-term picture. Business leaders must develop strategy and build teams down the chain that assist in executing that strategy.
One thing that all of these roles hold in common? They each demand emotional intelligence, skills and abilities like listening, empathy, effective processing, and delivering of feedback.
How to fix your leadership problem
How do you make sure your organization is preparing your leaders and managers for success?
Here are some tips.
Map leadership passages: Define the transitions in your organization (individual contributor, manager one, manager two, etc.). Specify what emotional skills are needed at each stage.
Develop training: Whether designed in-house, with help from a leadership consultancy, or both, tailor management and leadership training to your organization.
Schedule time: Each time a person is promoted, schedule the training and make sure you provide the time and resources they need to complete it.
Provide a mentor: A mentor can guide the person’s development, answer questions, and support them emotionally. Where possible, allow the person to choose their own mentor.
Support mentors, too: Outline guidelines for how mentors can help, and a program for them to meet regularly (in addition to impromptu meetings when needed).
Measure outcomes: Track metrics and results, but also look beneath the surface. Pay special attention to retention/turnover, team engagement, conflict rates. Remember, metrics are important but interviews with direct reports and team members can reveal much.
Lead by example: Senior leaders must practice developing their emotional intelligence, share their mistakes and learnings, and ask for help. In doing so, they set the foundation for the culture.
Don’t just dump a person into a new role and expect them to figure it out. Some will. Many won’t.
In contrast, if you prioritize leadership development, you’ll strengthen your teams and the organization as a whole—not just today but into the future.
—By Justin Bariso
This article originally appeared in Fast Company’s sister publication, Inc.
Inc. is the voice of the American entrepreneur. We inspire, inform, and document the most fascinating people in business: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters that represent the most dynamic force in the American economy.
