Should frontline managers go through leadership programs?
Senior Executive Advisor in Software, 10,001+ employees
I've found that in most organizations, you have a peer or a buddy if you are starting as an individual contributor. They always assign someone who is senior. But when you're beginning as a manager, more often than not the expectation is that your supervisor is going to be your mentor or coach, but there's no one who can be your peer and onboard you quickly. Some organizations do it well but in most cases, if you're a manager they give you a package that says, "These are the things you shouldn't do, and by the way, here's how to approve administrative stuff on the portal." It doesn’t include anything related to leadership or managing people, and doesn’t address any of the soft skills that are required. There may be videos, tutorials or documents about that, but those are very passive.CIO in Manufacturing, 1,001 - 5,000 employees
We don't have a program, but my company spends a fair amount of time on mentoring. We have formal mentorship programs and pipelines where you are assigned a mentor to help you develop in certain areas, whether it's communication or being persuasive in presenting your business case. For example, we do a lot of communication training on different leadership styles and how to adapt your leadership style to the needs of different employees based on their communication skill level. Those seem pretty official and from a mentoring standpoint, you can get very specific about a particular skill. CIO in Education, 1,001 - 5,000 employees
Yes, absolutely. There’s no reason not to be continuously learning how to hone your craft.CIO in Education, 201 - 500 employees
Sure. They are often the most visible employees representing the department. Whether the want to improve in state or move up the ladder, an investment in engaged employees is always resources well spent.Content you might like
Strongly agree5%
Agree59%
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Disagree7%
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Community User in Software, 11 - 50 employees
organized a virtual escape room via https://www.puzzlebreak.us/ - even though his team lost it was a fun subtitue for just a "virtual happy hour"
Director of IT, Self-employed
One thing I do is include them in the meetings about the changes that will take place and get their opinion. I also lay out the pros and cons of the changes and how it will effect us as a team moving forward.
I agree. I found that to be challenging, even culturally, because there's a disconnect between top leadership and frontline managers. Lines are often blurred and messages aren’t conveyed exactly. The more you can do with frontline managers or first-time managers, the better off you’ll be.