by Michael P. Laddin, LeaderPoint
Most people are promoted into management based on their ability to excel in specialist work. Unfortunately, those same specialist skills and experience do little to prepare people for the management and leadership challenges they face as they take on greater accountability for directing the work of others.
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So how do you actively and deliberately develop those people who must manage? How do you build manager bench strength?
1. First, managers must gain a clear understanding of the strategic direction at the executive level. Greater knowledge of a company's strategic direction, new initiatives, and new opportunities will better equip you to anticipate and plan for the provision of the necessary skilled managers. Succession planning is always an issue, but there is also an immediate need to advance the strategic skills and leadership abilities of those managing today's divisions, business units and projects. Building a company's managerial bench strength is always an imperative, and staying abreast of corporate direction becomes increasingly challenging as mergers, acquisitions and rapidly shifting economic and regulatory environments evolve.
2. Building on that understanding of managerial needs from a big picture perspective, decide whether to hire or develop the urgently needed managers. There are only two ways to build critical management bench strength: recruit and hire established management talent, or grow and develop managers from within the company. It has become increasingly evident that hiring established managers is expensive, and there are almost always cultural and system conflicts that impair the newly hired managers' effectiveness. A far more economical?and effective?alternative is to accelerate the development of the firm's emerging leaders. There are many tools and programs available to human resources executives, but not all are equally effective in developing professional managers.
3. Next, distinguish among the types of development programs. Virtually all development programs fall into one of three categories: personal development programs, technical or specialist development programs, or professional management development programs. Among the development programs on the market, few focus precisely on developing the specific skills and critical thinking required to manage effectively. While programs centered on advancing technical and specialist skills serve clear purposes, they do little to provide emerging leaders with the skills, tools and experience necessary to manage business effectively at higher levels. The same is true of personal development programs: They serve a clear set of needs, but offer little in developing management and leadership skills or experience.
4. Choose the approach that most directly meets the developmental needs as dictated by corporate strategy. Management success comes down to two things: exceptional business results, and the growth and retention of people. Only programs designed to help managers improve their ability to bring about higher levels of business results, while retaining and growing their people, will help you build true bench strength.
5. Finally, monitor the progress of the participants, and measure the effectiveness of the programs. To develop strong, capable managers from within, professional development programs must be able to provide measurable results. Executives should use systems that enable them to measure the real business impact of the programs, as well as the impact on employee growth and retention.
Seizing opportunity
Only through a commitment to developing managers can a company ensure the highest levels of business results. Managers who become well-versed in strategic planning and getting more done through others can help their companies seize greater opportunity and endure through time?regardless of challenging economic conditions, changing regulatory environments and dynamic competition.
Author
Michael P. Laddin is CEO of LeaderPoint, a company that has been studying management and leadership and management development learning environments for more than 20 years. The company's development programs have advanced the skills of more than 2,000 managers in 600 companies across virtually all sectors. Laddin may be reached at mladdin@leaderpoint.biz.