Help line managers to spend less time resolving intra-team disputes and give them more time to achieve their objectives.
Do your line managers feel like workplace referees? Settling internal disputes, dishing out yellow cards? Unwilling to deliver a red card for the good of the team? Do your teams pull together like the Lionesses, or is it a case of ‘every (wo)man for themselves’?
From tales of line managers being treated like therapists to team members propping up their managers, it’s a common problem. With so much workday time spent on emotional support, the work isn’t getting done. The results are long hours, less productivity and low morale for everyone involved in these dependent workplace relationships.
Line managers often acquire their leadership roles by being successful in a non-managerial position. But they are rarely trained to appropriately execute the delicate and sometimes unpleasant tasks of management. It’s time to give line managers a break. Instead of unwittingly setting them up to fail, equip them with the skills and insights they need to nurture and motivate their workplace family.
It begins with recruitment
While knowledge and experience of what their team does is very important to a line manager’s success, their past achievements should not override their ability to manage. Their personality traits and power skills are more indicative of future success than how often they hit target in their former role. When promoting and recruiting, how often do you consider this balance? We can all think of managers who were promoted for all the wrong reasons.
Moving on from leadership recruitment, how do your hiring managers approach recruitment in their teams? Do they tend to veer towards a tribe of ‘mini-me’s? Or do they populate their teams with people who never push back? Both stifle creativity and innovation which of course hinders growth and ownership.
Your line managers need to know what makes an effective team perform well. They need objective insights into their team’s personalities and power skills to understand what motivates their people. They should know when and how to push hard, and when to release the pressure to prevent burnout.
Invest time in your teams and leaders
Oh! But we told you that you should spend less time on your people! This is different. This is time well invested that you will recoup many-fold in the years to come. Instead of time-consuming firefighting, invest in the time necessary to turn around your workplace juggernaut. Once on course, your managers will be in a better position to drive your organisation forward with teams which pull together rather than pull apart.
“We see Holst as part of our organisation. Holst has enabled us to provide the developmental opportunities that weren’t there before. We are more transparent and actively encourage our staff to work together. Holst helps us to create this improved culture.”
