For New Managers, Conventional Management Training Doesn’t Fit

Conventional management training typically consists of
single, time-limited workshops or seminars. The length of
the event varies by position level, function or business
discipline, and size and structure of the employer
organization.

For new managers, this model has inherent shortcomings:

• The large amounts of new information that must be crammed
into a short time is overwhelming and often leads to
feelings of panic.

• Participants can’t put the new learning into practice
until the course is over, leaving no opportunity to ask
questions of instructors or colleagues after they try the
techniques in the course of their jobs.

• In-house management training often incorporates
company-specific material. Although well-intentioned, this
practice confuses the issues, and too often fundamental
management skills don’t receive adequate attention.

• Courses take new managers away from their tasks at
exactly the time when they need to give all their energies
to the job. Not only does this dilute their concentration,
but when the course is finished, the urgency of the
day-to-day job activities leaves little time or opportunity
to implement the new learning.

• There is an emphasis on “leadership skills”, including
concepts like authenticity, cultural fit, conceptual
thinking. These are, of course, important, but
inexperienced managers are struggling with the practical
challenges of running meetings, making presentations,
managing difficult employees, hiring and firing team
members and a plethora of other everyday management
activities. New managers can strongly relate to the old
expression, “When you’re up to your ears in alligators,
it’s hard to concentrate on draining the swamp!”

New managers need a new approach.

The corporate world needs a new training model specifically
tailored to the needs of new and recently appointed
managers. This model should:

• Focus on universal management principles. At the more
senior management levels, issues are more
situation-specific, but the problems facing new managers
are universal in nature. These problems and their solutions
should be the focus of the training.

• Provide for ongoing on-the-job learning. One-time
programs, whether they last for half a day or two weeks,
leave participants wondering how to put the techniques into
practice while “putting out the fires” of everyday
workplace life. An effective training program will allow
managers opportunities to implement the newly learned
practices and techniques and discuss the results.

• Make use of technology where appropriate, but also of the
human element so essential to effective learning.

• Cover practical skills for management tasks such as
running meetings, interviewing job applicants, planning and
goal setting, etc., as well as conceptual subjects such as
emotional intelligence and leadership.

• Explore the concept of career management. This should
include the importance of taking responsibility for their
careers, and the best practices on how to do so.

• Follow the principles of adult learning by first
conveying information about a subject, then providing
examples of real-world application, and finally giving
guidance on how to implement the ideas in the workplace.

When it comes to management training, one size does not fit
all. If they are to fulfill their promise, those who are
new or recently appointed to management need separate
training that provides specific education in the universal
skills of management.

—————————————————-
Helen Wilkie is a professional keynote speaker, workshop
leader and coach specializing in communication and
management. Visit http://www.mhwcom.com to  download her
white paper, “Changing the way you train your new managers:
what’s in it for you?”