Team members in management don’t always have the best leadership skills right out of the gate. Teaching leadership skills to your employees before they are promoted will support their success, give them room to grow, and give you access to the valuable resources you need when the time comes.
I worked in corporate aviation for several years. The majority of the time, we would promote from within. We would take an Aircraft Mechanic off the shop floor and place him or her straight into a leadership position. Initially, we would just expect them to perform but if this wasn’t something that was already in their wheelhouse, problems would quickly surface. In a worst-case scenario, this could lead to losing a good employee entirely when all it would have taken is a little forethought and preparation.
The qualities of a good manager
In order to lead effectively, new managers need a range of skills:
Soft skills development
Soft skills are key, especially those related to communication, strategy, and understanding emotional intelligence.
Objective accountability
Personal accountability is next. This means that they should be able to evaluate themselves from an objective standpoint, both for their strengths and weaknesses.
Teamwork
The ability to function as part of a team is crucial. A manager should be able to motivate and communicate with the team as a whole as well as each individual on the team.
Business knowledge
Business acumen is important too, as being able to connect an action or task to a specific business process is key to understanding how the business works on the whole. Good business knowledge will help your managers better communicate needs to their team members and relay pertinent information to the stakeholders they report to.
Encouraging leadership skills in new management
Chances are, your new managers are exemplary employees who have proven themselves. Management is the next step up and it is your job to give them the best possible chance of success.
Provide opportunities for learning
Learning does not have to be job-specific. Management or leadership training often focuses on things like how to boost productivity or how to improve employee engagement. Such training can be a powerful instrument of empowerment that will pay dividends down the line.
Topics such as time management techniques, delegation, prioritization, and goal setting are a good place to start. Mastering each of these topics is essential to any manager’s success. These skills can be taught to employees very early on, ensuring that when/if they are promoted, they will have the tools to be able to rise to the challenge.
Provide opportunities to take the lead
Every employee should see themselves as a potential leader. By instilling core values throughout their time working for you, you will be developing a culture of leadership.
Focusing on the small details, such as following company rules, maintaining the dress code, and showing up for their shift on time may seem like small things, but if an individual can’t lead by example, then they will never be a leader in the true sense of the word.
Ultimately, your new managers should understand that being a leader means more than just furthering their own personal success; it means being a part of something bigger, something they are an integral part of.
If you would like to learn more about teaching your managers to lead, reach out today.