Communication is Key

If managers avoid giving feedback, offering praise, showing vulnerability, and providing direction, they are not helping the bottom line.  Poor employee performance will go unaddressed and star performers will not feel recognized.  Employees may distrust their managers and not admit mistakes.

Best Practices before Promoting an Employee to Management

• Identify potential managers based not just on individual performance, but likelihood of success when put in charge of a team.  Management requires a specific skill set—the ability to lead, to take decisive action, to facilitate compromise, to defuse escalation, and to assess performance with clarity and kindness.
• If you see employees with the potential for leadership, give them informal leadership duties, and see how well or how poorly they do.
• Prepare them to take the role by teaching them the skills they will need to be successful.

Best Practices with a Current Manager

• Provide skills training in needed areas.  It is possible that a manager may be uncomfortable communicating with employees because they were not taught how to do so.  If that is the case for any of your managers, teach them the communication skills they are lacking.
• Manage your managers.  Like any employee, managers need direction, guidance, and someone to hold them accountable.
• If a manager’s performance is having negative impacts on the company and the training and guidance have not helped, you may need to put them on a performance improvement plan.  This plan should have clear attainable goals and a set timeframe for completion.

Strong managers are key to your company’s success. Give your managers the tools they need to excel.

This post is provided by the HR Pros at HR Support Center.  When you need essential information on human resources issues, from benefits, hiring and management, to culture, technology and regulations, HR Support Center is a resource on which you can rely.