Here’s the problem. It may be the most important talent development problem you face.
Most of the people who get “promoted” to supervisory positions are poor choices to begin with. Then they’re thrown into the supervisory waters with little to no training in the people parts of their jobs. Now what?
Now you have men and women responsible for the most valuable asset in your place who don’t know how to do their job and don’t know where to turn for help. Here are two fairly simple and inexpensive ways to help them while you prepare to start to begin to get ready to think about planning to select a committee to study how to improve your one-to-one people management.
Neither one is a startling new, just-heard-of, magical solution. Both work.
Study groups were a favorite of the late Stephen Covey. Most groups are voluntary and meet either at lunch or before the workday to discuss books that they select and buy for themselves. Sponsored groups don’t seem to get the same results as voluntary ones, but they probably affect more people.
Peer support groups put managers together with their peers to discuss their problems. Many of those discussions are about people problems. The members of most peer support groups are managers from the same company, but others include managers from several companies.
Neither of these methods requires a drastic overhaul of company policies or procedures or organization. Neither one costs much, if anything. So, what are you waiting for?
