The Most Common Mistakes Managers Make #3

Consider three scenarios that managers regularly face:

• The need to implement a new system or process
• A change in senior management priorities
• The departure or retirement of key people

What do they have in common? On the face of it, very little. But what unites these scenarios is the need for staff development – building the capacity to deal with organisational change.

The common mistake many managers make is not focusing on staff development. Failing to equip individuals with the skills, knowledge and resources to fulfill their evolving roles can leave even the most successful organisation vulnerable.

More than half the employees in LMA’s regular Leadership, Employment and Direction (L.E.A.D.) Surveys cite training and development opportunities as very or quite important in their decision to stay with an organisation or to consider joining another organisation. Nearly four in five leaders/managers in the same survey regularly indicate their willingness to offer such opportunities to attract or retain people. In the modern workplace, training and development is no longer an option. It’s mandatory for talent management and staff retention.

Yet many managers don’t consider training and development to be important and therefore choose not to invest in it. What are some of the reasons why they do this?

Well, decisions about staff development can be difficult for managers for several reasons including:

• Not seeing the value of development
• Seeing the expenditure as discretionary, not necessary
• Finding it difficult to source the right training activity for their staff’s needs
• Having had a previous bad experience with training – personally, or for their staff; and
• An attitude that there is not enough time available to train staff. Most of us have heard or even said “I can’t afford to have staff off training”.

“Olivia the Over-looker” has recently felt the pain from a lack of staff development. She has a great team that works well together, and with terrific spirit. In fact, they work so well together that she doesn’t want to change anything, even though change is happening all around her.  She fears developing some or all of the team might interfere with the team dynamics. But in doing so, she’s overlooking the importance of development for the team and isn’t encouraging individual growth.

So, week in-week out, she lets them continue as they are.

She doesn’t invest in improving their skills… or the development of new leaders within the group. She doesn’t even ask them what training they would like, or feel they need. In time, if she doesn’t act, Olivia may face some serious challenges, or the departure of one or more key people.

So, what are some of the ways that this mistake can be avoided?

One of the first steps is for the manager to truly understand and accept the value of people development. The potential benefits and improvements achieved through developing team members should be discussed with the right training provider. An agreed and measurable return on investment from the development is easy to ascertain by setting clear objectives and measures ahead of the course.

Individual performance reviews should include specific discussion about training and development needs. Opportunities to enhance the individual’s skills and abilities should be explored, and their input and suggestions sought.

Managers who assist their staff to access training and development, who provide them with the encouragement, opportunity and resources needed to grow and develop ensure the long-term sustainability of their team.

Managers like “Olivia the Over-looker” should be actively seeking to develop their team, rather than trying to maintain the status quo. The potential benefits through training and development far outweigh the benefits of trying to ‘cocoon’ them.

Investments in training and development activities return many benefits…to the person being developed, to the manager and to the organisation. It might seem obvious, but development can deliver a sense of renewal and invigoration that pervades the team and the organisation. It offers the opportunity for people to grow and develop in ways that are beneficial for both themselves and for their organisation.

Central to any effective training and development initiative is an element of self-awareness.  Through goal-setting activities, personal evaluations, individualised coaching, and through interactive workshops and discussions with other participants, individuals are better able to recognise and act on their development and growth needs.

Individuals can draw enormous benefit from the experience, as they apply their learning to their personal and professional lives.

Developing staff is not just a key solution to some of the issues identified, it is one of the cornerstones of effective management.

To quote Henry Ford:

“The only thing worse than training your employees and having them leave, is not training them and having them stay”.