Manager needs Coaching
Caroliso
352 Posts
I'd like to provide some assistance for a manager in HR matters, and I'm afraid my individual coaching may not be enough. Does anyone know of a good commercially available seminar that would help? Here's my problem....
This manager has been given a new department to run as part of a restructuring. She had an assistant,and had managed staff in other jobs, but I'm seeing some problems that show that left to her own devices we could be in for big problems. Some symptoms: she values being buddies with her staff, and this results in a too-informal way of speaking and gossiping with them that they don't welcome. (e.g. what's Employee A's story? Is she married? Does she have kids? Who is she dating? etc.) 2) she speaks without thinking about the consequences, which results in things like reacting to poor work by one person in her department in the presence of another. I could go on.
I'm thinking she needs a reminder of the legal consequences of certain behaviors, along with some ongoing support from me about how and when to hold her spontaneous remarks in check and how to build a team without relying on personal comments and gossiping.
In the past I've attended some of those generic seminars with the manager in need, so that throughout the day we can discuss their own situations. I do that in part because the seminars can be so generic. Anybody have any other ideas? Any good seminars out there you can recommend?
This manager has been given a new department to run as part of a restructuring. She had an assistant,and had managed staff in other jobs, but I'm seeing some problems that show that left to her own devices we could be in for big problems. Some symptoms: she values being buddies with her staff, and this results in a too-informal way of speaking and gossiping with them that they don't welcome. (e.g. what's Employee A's story? Is she married? Does she have kids? Who is she dating? etc.) 2) she speaks without thinking about the consequences, which results in things like reacting to poor work by one person in her department in the presence of another. I could go on.
I'm thinking she needs a reminder of the legal consequences of certain behaviors, along with some ongoing support from me about how and when to hold her spontaneous remarks in check and how to build a team without relying on personal comments and gossiping.
In the past I've attended some of those generic seminars with the manager in need, so that throughout the day we can discuss their own situations. I do that in part because the seminars can be so generic. Anybody have any other ideas? Any good seminars out there you can recommend?
Comments
Ultimately, it sounds like maturity in her role and as a professional employee, much less a manager, is not evidenced by her behavior. I don't know that a seminar would help, but maybe some videos that show clear examples of her kind of behavior and the reactions/impact on workforce.
Finally, it needs to be her manager who sets the objectives and demands that she improve. If it's important to her manager, then it will become important to her.
Did the company evaluate her skill set prior to assigning a new department? I would start there, by emphasizing her strengths. How do they translate to this new department? What sort of daily measurement objectives can you place in front of her to evaluate this department's performance.
If you are emphasizing the things that need to get done, perhaps that will help this person focus on the aspects of her job and her departments goals instead of these other areas that are causing issues.
Once you have developed the foundation of expectations, then talk to her about these style issues. It sounds like she is a bit uncertain about how and where she fits into this department and is afraid to take up the leadership reins. Once she has a handle on the basic goals, perhaps she can then see the way she can accomplish them in a positive sense.
An early formal evaluation may be in order to outline all of the clear expectations you are trying to convey.
Some people are not 'cut out' to be managers and all the coaching in the world will not work. Sometimes the employee cannot make a separation from 'friendships' to 'leadership.' You can give it your best shot with training, coaching, and counseling and hope this person can be cultivated into management, but there may be a point when you decide the promotion was not the best decision. Hopefully, it works out for your firm.