We all know that managing and developing people is important right? So what’s the big deal?
For me, the big deal is that managing and developing people is like diet and exercise. We all know that we should eat healthily and exercise daily…but we don’t do it. Stuff gets in the way, which, for whatever reason, seems more important and/or more appealing to us. Knowing is one thing and doing is quite the other. This is exactly the case in effectively managing and developing people.
At a Corporate event where I was invited to speak to a group of front line Middle Managers last week, I laid out my stall on how some of their immediate and demanding operational challenges could be overcome by them adopting a proactive and deliberate strategy to develop and empower their people to make decisions…and therefore empowering themselves to be better Managers. My pitch was deliberately provocative and the interaction was great with lots of debates and open discussions on shared experiences and challenges.
The Managers agreed that one of their challenges was managing the expectations of their team members and senior managers alike that they have all the skills to manage and get the best out of their people. They admitted that they often “blagged” it and “fumbled” the best way that they could so as not to lose face.
We were unanimous that fumbling was wrong. Everyone in the room confirmed to bearing the scars of Managers who had made it up as they went along. Some of the experiences of the audience were simply hair- raising. Unfortunately, those experiences do not appear to be unique to a particular organisation or team as these realistic video clips show.
The equation is simple enough. Poor Managers develop poor people; great Managers develop great people. Great Managers seek the services of versatile facilitators.
Why not join the elite group of Managers who leave a legacy of great and developed people?
Register your interest in purchasing our forthcoming book: Developing People: Top 10 tips for new and middle Managers
