Yahoo Finance Do management training courses really make good managers?
We’ve all had a bad boss at some point. Maybe they had a tendency to micro-manage, didn’t listen, or piled work onto you while doing little themselves. For workers, a bad boss can be extremely detrimental – leading to stress, frustration and exhaustion. And in some cases, bad management forces people to leave a job – or a career – that they enjoy.
Bad managers and toxic work cultures have led to a third of people quitting their jobs, according to a recent survey by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI). While one in four people in the UK workforce holds a management role, only a quarter of workers (27%) describe their manager as ‘highly effective’.
One of the underlying problems is that people are often promoted to positions of management without good reason – simply because they're popular or available to take charge. Sometimes, these ‘accidental managers’ are sent on leadership training courses, but do they actually help people develop the skills they need to be good managers – or are they a waste of time and money?
“No – training courses don't make good managers,” says Valerie O'Hanlon, a career and business coach at Clarence Consulting. “But they can help develop some of the skills that are needed to be a good manager. The first step in helping to create a good manager is an awareness of the skills that are needed, and a level of self-awareness for the manager to know the skills they possess and what they need to develop.”
Read more: How helping employees to ‘self-lead’ can boost their mental health
One of the problems is that management courses are often generic. But to be effective, they should be tailored to the organisation, its needs and its people. Some skills are universal, like learning how to give or accept fair feedback – especially if it is negative. However, the needs and requirements of managers depend on the business, so training should be bespoke.
Another key issue is that training courses are often a day-long, tick-box exercise, filled with wishy-washy advice about maintaining employee wellbeing. Once someone has sat through a slideshow about employee stress and satisfaction surveys, they may think they’re fully equipped with the skills to be a great manager. But in reality, learning to manage people takes time.
“Becoming a good manager doesn't happen overnight, it is a constant learning experience,” says O’Hanlon. “New managers should be supported, especially in their first 90 days.”
And perhaps most significantly, some people just aren’t suited to management roles. At many companies, the only way to get pay rises and "advance" through your career is to move into management. This puts pressure on people to consider taking manager roles, even if they don’t want to. If someone doesn’t have the inherent skills needed to manage well, a training course probably won’t help.
Read more: How to spot wellbeing washing at work
“Being a good manager isn't easy. You need excellent people skills, an ability to delegate, an ability to motivate your team,” says O’Hanlon.
“A good manager needs to be able to listen and understand and they need empathy,” she adds. “Often, employees who are good at what they do get promoted to management roles but the organisations fail to check whether the employee understands the skills that are needed to become a good manager.”
So what should organisations do to ensure managers are suited to management roles? First, O’Hanlon says, it’s important not to assume that if someone is successful in a certain area, that they will thrive in any area.
“Instead, organisations should be focusing on the strengths of the individuals and what they’re good at and enjoy. Companies should find opportunities for these people to make the most of these strengths,” she says.
“Clear, honest and open career development discussions can open up a dialogue and create a career path that doesn't always lead to becoming a manager.”
And for training courses to be helpful, they should be tailored to the business and its needs. “Though skills can be developed and improved, the employee has to be eager and willing to improve,” says O’Hanlon. And this requires self-awareness, time and patience.
Watch: Women execs are more stressed than before the pandemic
Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android.
