Five things line managers should know
Often, line managers are promoted into management positions without really knowing where to start. They’re given the job description and are told to manage teams, finances, as well as put strategies into play. However, without the right skills and support, the delight of a new job (and salary) can turn into a nightmare all too quickly.
Jenny Carter, director of the new manager programme at the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business, says that line managers play a vital role in organisations but too often they are left to fend for themselves without the skills or training to support them. And this is a niche that organisations don’t want to ignore. Line mangers perform functions such as scheduling, training, hiring, firing, and writing performance evaluations. Effectively, they are the first contact point between line workers and management, and more and more is being asked of them every year.
“We have noticed a clear shift in demands being placed on line managers,” she says. “As organisations flatten and move away from hierarchical structures, line managers are required to make bigger and more responsible decisions much sooner in their careers. And for this they need an expanded skills set.”
5 skills that you must teach your line managers
1. Polish business communication skills
One of the most difficult things for people to do is to present ideas to people in a way that is clear, well structured, and convincing. Another challenge is writing well-argued and accurate reports and proposals. Unfortunately, many people don’t have these skills.
2. Learn how to think strategically
In their new role, line managers can be strategic elements in the organisation, applying new business thinking to innovating across different processes and functions, improving teams, and finding opportunities for creating or maintaining a competitive advantage.
An important part of strategy today is in harnessing the thinking of many people, rather than any single individual. So line managers need to create enabling environments to ensure that many perspectives and ideas surface for the good of the organisation.
3. Get comfortable with complexity and uncertainty
Organisations never operate within a vacuum. They are a part of a greater cosmos which is made up of many different forces. In the business world, line managers need to start grappling with the complexity and uncertainty in emerging markets and the great interest involved in these markets. They need to keep informed about the latest in regulations, political developments, social needs, and they must question the role of business in these societies.
4. Improve management and leadership through personal mastery
The most profound lesson a line manager can learn, and one experienced managers should keep reminding themselves of, is that to manage others you must first manage yourself.
In today’s environment, far removed from the corporate leadership style of the past, leaders are expected to lead by example. And leading by example hinges on one major thing: Consistency.
Everything from personal behaviour and thinking, to decision-making and relational skills, should be driven by a keen adherence to personal values that do not shift and change in any given situation. Leaders do not sell out on their personal values. It is these that are their compass and rudder and it is these that determine their impact on others, encouraging and motivating them to succeed.
To understand your values, strengths and weaknesses requires concerted effort. Leadership is cultivated, not wished into form.
5. Invest in professional development programmes
Up-skilling is critical when entering a new role in organisations. And as demands on line managers are expected to grow and change every year, short courses are proving to be a cost-effective and targeted means to develop the critical skills needed.
A recent Harvard Business Review study showed that offering professional development to high-potential managers keeps them from leaving for other companies. In their article, Why top young managers are in non-stop job hunt, Monika Hamouri, Jie Cao and Burak Koyuncu conclude that three-quarters of high-potential employees are constantly on the look-out for opportunities elsewhere. And a survey of 1 200 employees showed that the main grudge is not receiving enough formal training and development. Although on-the-job training is important to these high-calibre employees, informal employee development efforts are highly unsatisfactory to them, and they prefer efforts that help strengthen the foundations for their future careers.
