Succession planning is a vital component for organizations who want to continually grow their business. Promoting new leaders from within the existing workforce fosters a culture of trust and loyalty. Having a proven management training program in place helps businesses stay ready to develop talent and prepare a viable succession plan. A proven management training program already in place will also help attract job candidates to your company. Here is a guide for creating a management training program for a business.
Identify Potential
The biggest mistake businesses make is promoting the wrong people into positions of management. Sometimes a person is a highly qualified subject matter expert but has no desire to be in management. Promoting this person creates friction because the team feels like they are left without a leader and the new manager becomes dissatisfied with their new role and becomes resentful toward the organization. Instead of relying on traditional methods of promotions based on seniority, look for candidates who are interested in a career in management. Identify their potential based on knowledge and application of core company values.
Communicate Objectives
A successful management training program will include information on a broad range of topics. Potential new managers should become well-versed in company protocol, operational objectives, and key performance indicators. Convey vital information such as the company vision and mission, strategic planning, and recruitment outlook to members of the managerial training program. New leaders can only be accountable for information that has been effectively communicated to them. Have a clear path or chain of command for new managers to follow so they know where to turn when they have questions or concerns. Assign mentors to affirm or correct behavior as needed.
Train Consistently
Ongoing training and development is essential for new managers. A comprehensive training program will assess the readiness of managerial candidates and tailor a structured development program to their needs. Depending on the needs of the organization and the bandwidth for training, select courses can combine different styles of training. Classroom training in groups of twelve or fewer is preferred for group work and team-building exercises. Standard compliance and categorical training are a great place to start and can be fully interactive or self-paced. Specific topics that are especially helpful to first-time managers include communication styles, conflict resolution, time management, decision-making, and leadership skills.
Create Opportunities
Completion of a management training program alone does not create an effective manager. Whether a training program is eight weeks or eight months, it must be used in conjunction with real-time practice. Intentionally design opportunities for new managers to test their skills, and allow room for error.
Hands-on learning should include a mixture of administrative tasks such as timekeeping audits, performance evaluations, and corrective action documents. Relational activities such as candidate interviews or employee terminations should be conducted with a mentor or member of senior leadership present. After a few instances where a new manager has been able to demonstrate an understanding of the expectations, they are ready to fly solo. Check in frequently for the first six months to one year to ensure consistent improvement.