Promoted but Not Prepared
How Companies are Failing New Managers.
Let’s really get into middle management. This might not be the largest part of your organization but, regardless of the numbers, you can’t afford to neglect your people at this level. Why? Because middle managers are actually the most impactful and influential part of your organization. Believe it.
Across the board, your middle managers wield direct influence on the productivity, morale, and culture within your teams. They are the group that drives and guides all work towards its final outcome. And more often than not, they make the difference between promising new hires (and company stalwarts) staying or going. But despite this critical role - when it comes to training and development - middle managers are extremely overlooked.
Hopefully, it’s obvious enough that you should be training and supporting your frontline and entry level positions. Now, you might have different levels of effectiveness depending on your organization’s capacity, resources, and culture - but you’re absolutely going to have some form of training for folks as they get through the door. At the other end of things, your senior leaders often have access to executive level training and development opportunities. And they don’t simply have access - they have expectations! At their level, strengthening your talents and cultivating yourself is normalized, prioritized, and actively facilitated by your organization.
So, across multiple industries, we’ve collectively agreed to pay attention to the frontlines and the leadership. But what happened to the people in the middle?! According to polls by Gallup and OfficeVibe:
53% of managers said they did not fully understand what it meant to be a manager.
40% were not given a clear list of duties and expectations when they started.
And a staggering 66% of survey respondents did not receive any training or coaching before stepping into their role as a new manager.
Think about it: These are scary numbers! More than half of new managers are going into the job with ZERO preparation, a ton of ambiguity, and a long list of misaligned expectations. That’s a recipe for organizational (and interpersonal) disaster.
Remember, we’re talking about people. There is no button you can push to convert a star employee into a solid manager. But that’s exactly how most organizations operate. Without really questioning it, most of us assume that the reward for top performance is being promoted to manager. It’s the “reasonable” next rung on the ladder. But the skills many of us use to excel as an employee are not the skills - or the mindset - we need to succeed as effective managers. Besides the disruptive (at best) and disastrous (at worst) impact on the organization as a whole, this situation is pretty tragic for new managers themselves. Imagine training hard for a tough race, and being so excited to win - only to realize that you kinda hate the prize. Yikes!
And that’s exactly the point at which most companies drop their new managers and leave them to fend for themselves. There might be a couple of days of administrative orientation, but for the massive transformation we’re asking new managers to take on, it’s just not enough support. We’re asking them to take on the responsibility of driving productivity, profitability, and innovation…and take on a whole new level of professional risk. Putting it blunting, their necks are on the line here.
This is exactly the point when you need to engage a coach. Because for effective managers - let alone exceptional ones - there’s no cookie cutter approach. The role demands flexibility, perceptiveness, and creativity that you must cultivate and train. Here’s just a slice of what you’re asking them to do:
Uncover their assumptions about leadership
Identity and expand their soft skills
Reflect on their experiences with their own previous managers
Consider the experiences they want to facilitate
Foster consensus and clarity of purpose with fellow managers
These are not small discrete tasks! They are growth edgesAnd it’s in everyone’s best interest to give them the attention they deserve. Remember, these are the people who touch every aspect of your organization. These are the people interfacing with all the new talent you’re working so hard to recruit. They need the space to discover their questions and curiosities, and the support to approach this new transformation with confidence. And if your organization fails to invest in them and facilitate their growth - you’re in for a vicious cycle of confusion, resentment, and bad habits. It’s time to do better and DF Coaching & Consulting can help.
