Published June 2001

Natural leaders still need management training

Q. I work for a medium-size manufacturing company and recently was promoted as a front-line supervisor. After 15 years “on-the-line” and as a union leader, I was excited to become a manager and receive the extra income and benefits that go with the job. After three months, however, I am having doubts. I’m bogged down in paperwork, and my team resists my ideas for change. The title and the prestige are nice, but I fear I’m in over my head. How can I begin feeling more confident, competent and compatible with this new position?

A. In these days of rampant turnover, becoming a supervisor is easy. Do a good job, show leadership and responsibility, and chances are you’ll get the nod. But without specific management training, even the most talented and natural leaders can fall flat on their managerial faces, leading the way to an organizational disaster.

According to the Manchester Group, a human resources consulting firm, 40 percent of all newly appointed supervisors fail either by getting fired, voluntarily resigning, being demoted or receiving a bad performance review.

The Manchester group study showed that such failures usually occur because:

• Office politics are handled inadequately.
• Employees are expected to perform at the supervisor’s former level.
• There is poor communication.
• New supervisors take on too much too soon.
• New supervisors try to be “Santa Claus” to all employees or try to be “one of the gang.”
• New supervisors use being “the boss” as a principal power source.

According to John McAlpine, an Edmonds-based communications and training consultant who specializes in new-supervisor training classes, most newly promoted managers have the technical and business expertise that allows them to survive but often are not schooled well in the softer management skills. “They can prepare a spreadsheet or flow chart, but can they handle a conflict between two employees?”

McAlpine believes that companies would be better off providing pre-supervisory training sessions for potential managers to have them learn “up front” the rigors of management. Before deciding to become a manager, they should get “a taste” of dealing with the most difficult parts of supervising — hiring, firing, disciplining, standards and goal setting, motivation, wages and performance reviews, McAlpine said.

Front-line supervisors should be schooled in four important areas, according to McAlpine. They are:

• Establishing an atmosphere of trust. “The supervisor must be perceived as a ‘straight shooter,’ a strong decision maker and must deliver on what’s promised,” he said.
• Building a team. Keeping a team focused on the goal, guiding and coaching as necessary, cheerleading, stepping in only when necessary.
• Being consistent but fair in administering discipline. Don’t play favorites. Remember that discipline is exercised not to punish but to change behavior.
• Communicating nonstop. Keep the team informed of developments and changes, master the grapevine, and squelch rumors.

With these points in mind, if you are not receiving such training and support, run, don’t walk, to your direct report or senior management and request it.

Ask that new front-line supervisors be given the time to practice supervising people, instead of being dragged down in record keeping and report writing. With two to three hours weekly of supervisor training, you will feel better about increasing “people time,” celebrating their successes as much as they celebrate the successes of your team.

Eric Zoeckler operates a marketing communications firm, The Scribe, and writes “Taming the Workplace,” which appears Mondays in The Herald. Contact him at 206-284-9566 or by e-mail to mrscribe@aol.com.

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