Critical aspects of management development (Proceedings)

Why This Topic

• One size does not fit all...

• Not only do managers need to adapt to the business needs but owners need to know how to direct the manager and set them up for success

• There is often little "common ground" for coaching conversations around management development

The Nature of Management Development

• Process of building the current and potential performance capabilities of an organization's managers

• Focus is

• Skill Development

• UNDERSTANDING how to think and behave as managers

Functions of Management Development

• Enhance management skills

• Shape the corporate culture

• Promote leadership style

• Reward and recognize managers

Critical Dimensions

• The person's concept of their role

• The skills demanded by the role

• Attitudes and Psychological factors

Change in Role

• The fundamental dimension of successful transition involves changing the concept of one's organizational role from a performing doer to a managerial role of supervising the work of others.

Transitions in a Veterinary Facility

• Player/Doer

• Assistant Coach or Player Coach

• Manager of other Managers

• Manager of a Major Functional Area/Department

• Head Coach

Skill Set Needed at Each Stage

• The Player/Doer

o Technical Skills Directly related to the job

• Challenges

o Assessing (measuring skill set)

o Emotional Maturity

o Connection to other staff members

o Making the mental shift from hourly employee to management

o Communication schism

o Educational schism

Assistant Coach or Player

• Core and operational management skills; delegation, time management, recruiting, training. Focus is on managing the performance of technicians/receptionists

• Challenges

o Understanding the intention/vision of owners

o Learning to be respected but not necessarily liked

o Accepting the stress and responsibility that comes with management

o Overcoming educational deficits

o Looking past symptoms for causes

o Avoiding the blame game

Manager of Other Managers

• Organizational Management Skills: department planning and budgeting, CONTROL to produce a coordinated effort to achieve collective goals. Understand that they must work through other managers to get things done. Time spent planning, organizing and coaching.

• Challenges

o Handling Alpha Employees

o Developing as a leader (influence, persuasion, empathy, political realities)

o EI.....leaving self out of this (it is common for managers at this stage to personalize resistance...ever wonder why)?

o Getting formal education in Strategic Planning, Conducting Meetings and Public Speaking

Manager of a Discipline or Department

• Organizational Development Skills: Understand that being effective in this position involves not only managing your area of responsibility, but being a member of the "corporate" team as well. They get when to perform as a manager and when to perform as a practice leader.

• Challenges

o Conflict Resolution

o Prioritizing competing goals/activities

o Work/Life balance, burnout

Head Coach (Administrator, CEO)

• Transition Management Skill: The ability to identify the need for and manage individual and organizational transitions. Focus is on managing the organization as a whole and being an ambassador for the practice to the external world.

• Challenges

o Staying connected to the "why"

o Selling the value of ambassadorship

o Rising above conflict and using it as motivation to move agendas forward

o Knowing when it is time to change style or position

Managerial Psychology

The Player/Doer

• Has direct control over results

• Work Self esteem is based on individual effort

• Avoids conflict because they believe that being liked will get them ahead

Player Coach/Assistant Coach

• Must give up control over results and work through others to achieve results

• Derives esteem from the results of the team and seeks to be "the best manager"

• Is developing the ability to handle conflict resolution and give feedback to direct reports

Middle Manager

• Comfortable letting supervisors handle front line employees and can "let go" of micro managing them

• Manages the need to be liked in order to effectively provide feedback and coach team members

Manager of a Department or Discipline

• Comfortable working with mid level managers to achieve goals

• Derives work esteem from being the head of a functional unit

• Understands that they must make decisions that are in the best interest of the practice and that those decisions may not be popular with lower level employees. Comfortable with this process

CEO/Administrator/Head Coach

• Comfortable with achieving goals through senior management (Board, Owners, etc.)

• Derives esteem from the success of the entire practice

• Has the ability to make tough decisions, provide needed feedback to the senior management team and deal with conflict in and outside the practice

• They have managed their need to be liked

Common Senior Management Errors

• You're Not Listening!

o Your employees are not listened to only spoken at resulting in lack of engagement, loyalty and ownership in addition to increasing staff resentment and lowering staff morale

• Indulging in over commitment

• Not producing a staff that can say no results in overwork, under achievement, client dissatisfaction and "dead heroes"—not a winning strategy

• Blinded by Numbers

o The numbers are only a by product; taking action to change the numbers without managing what drives the numbers (employee passion, excellent execution, client satisfaction) is ultimately destructive.

• Allowing fuzzy commitments and avoidance of commitment

• Fuzzy agreements and lack of standards for generating and managing commitments creates waste and resignation

• The Client Comes Last

o Working on tasks without remembering or being aware of how it will affect the client can erode client loyalty

• Fear and Loathing of Performance Evaluation

o Speaking honestly and directly is a SKILL and requires courage. Senior managers must learn to provide direct and honest feedback about performance.

• Teams in Name Only

o Teams are not just groups of people working together, and the skill of building real teams that have trust and effective performance seems to be rare—they must be learned.

• The Management Tool Box is Empty

o Effective management requires a range of skills, and most managers do not have the complete set; team building, ability to evoke commitment, ability to listen, managing morale, coping with breakdown, managing client satisfaction, effective planning and projects, clear objectives and not being reactive are just a few to start with.

• Giving orders instead of requesting and establishing commitment

• Ownership and excellence do not come from order takers, and usually ordering produces silent resentment and avoidance, when what we really want is the ownership, passion and pride that comes when people commit to what they are doing.

• Common Senior Management Errors

• Inability to Trust/Creation of Distrust

• Trust is not a vague background feeling and trust building, repair and sustaining are skills-they must be learned.

• No Clear Game Plan

• A quantitative objective, goal or vision is just the beginning. Requirements for successful execution also include: clear roles and responsibilities, explicit value for the client and a team who can execute.

• Because I Said So!

• Arrogance of the office leads to just giving orders, not gaining the respect and commitment of others, and erodes the strength and vitality of the organization, leaving only the weak and beaten.

• Lack of Commitment to Learning

o We must learn or be passed by---learn from our mistakes, successes and experiences, and learn from others in the industry, particularly from those who have risked or have similar experiences.

• Allowing Cynicism About Management

• Management is often viewed in a highly cynical and derisive by intellects and front line employees alike. It is sometimes viewed as vague and idiosyncratic, a role that cannot be learned or taught or as a piece of the practice puzzle that is begrudgingly accepted. There must be a commitment to clear standards for management skills and effective programs to produce them.