Whenever an employee starts a new role, they will likely require some form of training or coaching to ensure they can do the job effectively and efficiently, and to a high standard. Whether they’ve done the same role in another company and require training in how your organisation runs, or they’ve moved internally to a whole new role, coaching is the best way to ensure a smooth transition.
Managers play a huge part in any business, and a good manager could help your company in more ways than you think. But no one can just be a good manager off the bat – there may be some training that’s required, and this is where we at INTOO UK & Ireland can help.
When managers are trained and feel confident to apply learning to real-life situations, productivity and staff satisfaction levels can improve significantly.
Training a new manager
When training a new manager, it is important to have a clear training and development plan in place. You may have the resources internally to do this, or you could use external providers such as a those specialising in training and coaching . When you use the latter, you know that the training will be delivered by professionals whose job it is to train staff members, day in and day out. Coaches and trainers are certified by recognised coaching or training bodies, such as the International Coaching Federation and the European Mentoring and Coaching Council, and employ a range of methods and techniques, depending on the individual.
If you are considering using internal resources, mentoring is a great training intervention. Essentially, an individual with previous experience can help by passing on their knowledge to the new manager, training them in both the role and how to be a good leader.
No matter which method of training you choose for your employees, it’s important that they’re taught the same basic management skills, so read on to find out more about teaching leadership.
How to train a new manager in leadership
When training a new manager, there are some skills and behaviours that are most important to focus on.
Train them in the importance of their role
It’s really important that the manager has a full understanding of their job, how they and their role fits into the wider business, their goals and objectives, the business’ goals and objectives and more. This information would be best coming from either you as their manager or from another member of staff who has been employed in a similar role.
Enrol them in leadership training
Not every role requires the same form of leadership, and therefore the training programme will differ too, depending on whether the manager is going to be an inspirational, transformational or transactional leader.
A leadership training course could help them to identify the type of leader they want to be, and then help them to develop the leadership skills they will need to inspire, motivate and support their team. This type of course could also include the opportunities to practise their skills in a safe environment.
Develop their coaching skills
A key part of being a manager involves coaching other people, whether this be an individual or a team. Managers need to quickly understand which role they need to play, that of the manager or that of the coach. In their role as a coach, managers help other to reach their potential by finding solutions to challenges and encouraging them that they have the skills to deliver. Organisations whose managers who understand the duality of the role see far greater success.
To be an effective coach requires managers to have honed certain skills, including communication and active listening, too, which can be taught and developed. When employed in training staff members, the manager needs to understand what the pain points are, the areas the team is excelling in and the areas they’re struggling with. A manager needs to understand that their own business goals aren’t always the priority, and they need to listen to the goals of their team in order to achieve true success.
When choosing a person to coach your new manager in the above, it’s a good idea to select someone that has previous experience in the same role (such as a former manager) or someone who has been with the company for a while.
Train them in necessary app/tool usage
Management skills are obviously a necessity for a team leader to succeed, but there are some other forms of training that may be required too. This is particularly the case when their job role differs to the position they held previously.
It may be that there are certain tools and apps the employee has never used before, but that are a requirement for the job role. Most professionals use various software’s on a daily basis, whether this be tools to help with reporting, assist with project management, calculate budgets, etc. Even when the employee knows how to use such programmes, it could be that they aren’t knowledgeable enough to use them in the most efficient way.
When it comes to tools and apps, efficiency is key and it’s really important that the new manager understands exactly what they can get out of the programmes they use.
A new manager could either be trained by other members of the business who are experts in the software, or they could use online resources, such as YouTube, to watch tutorials and self-learn.
Communication
Good communication is imperative. While this skill can be taught to a degree, it can just come naturally to some people and not others. Regardless of this, it’s a skill that you should train your new manager in to ensure that they can communicate confidently, including resolving any potential conflicts.
Positive work relationships means a more engaged employee, and a manager should use their communication skills effectively to motivate their teams on a daily basis. This also requires managers to be good listeners and adept at building strong relationships with their team members. Employees need to be able to share their thoughts and concerns with their team leader, and they likely won’t feel comfortable talking to a person they struggle to communicate with.
A good manager should use their social skills to encourage positivity within the team, build strong relationships with each individual, and encourage effective communication. This can be done with regular one-to-ones and by providing clear and concise instructions when a task is required from an employee.
Delegation
Every manager needs to know how to delegate, otherwise they’ll have a never-ending pile of work to do themselves. Some training may be required in this, and it will also take time for the manager to understand what can be done themselves and what can be done by others (what they trust to pass on, what is easy to pass on, etc).
Understanding HR policies
Every workplace will have its own policies and procedures in place that will dictate what is required in certain situations. Such policies can offer guidance to all members of a business, from CEOs, directors and managers to all other employees.
It’s important that a new manager understands exactly what is expected from them, as well as important company procedures, and these can generally be found in a company handbook or similar document. Alternatively, a more senior member of staff or someone in HR could go through it with them.
Training a new manager isn’t going to necessarily be a quick process, and should be undertaken carefully and accurately, to ensure they’re provided with all the right information and in the correct manner. For further help with manager training, you could look into INTOO’s leadership development coaching services.