Change is Constant – and in 2020, businesses have faced significant, faster change, than many of us are used to or comfortable with!

And it’s likely, that prior to the pandemic, you were hearing that in order for businesses to stay relevant and succeed, they need to innovate. You have also likely heard that leaders and individual contributors alike, need to be able to adapt and change quickly. Yet, these ideals don’t always come quickly or naturally, and it’s not typically a result of not hiring the right people, rather, it’s often due to leadership and culture.

Managers Need to Learn New Ways To Lead

What I find from speaking with many company executives and HR leaders, is that managers need to learn “new ways to lead”. Oftentimes, managers are promoted to lead a team of direct reports because they have always been very strong individual contributors. If not provided with the right guidance and tools, many of these managers fail to inspire and engage their direct reports. In fact, the opposite is often true – direct reports often “shut down” and only deliver what is absolutely necessary to get by when managers are not effective leaders.

The Leader as Coach

Yesterday, I had a conversation with an HR representative of a company who shared that they realize the downfalls of regular trainings and have decided to invest differently in their managers. They realize the need to provide their managers with the tools, the reinforcement and the accountability to ensure they can be successful in leading through continuous change. They also realize the importance of leaders empowering their direct reports; providing them with the safe space to speak up, share their ideas and to run with them in an effort to innovate. This HBR article, talks about the need to move away from the “command and control” management style and move toward “leader as coach”.

Be Clear on Why Training is Offered and Prepared to Implement the Learnings

Many companies believe that they are helping their managers become better, more effective managers by sending them to trainings, or professional development opportunities. What often is lacking, is a focus on the true purpose of the training and making sure the manager can apply the learning to real world situations.

What drives your decision-making process for who gets professional development, why they need it, and how they will be held accountable for their learning? If it’s simply an HR initiative, maybe there is a lack in alignment with the individual’s manager and thus there is no follow-up after the fact. Whatever the process, if your company’s training is ineffective, it may be time to assess how these decisions are being made. And, if you want to be able to adapt quickly to change, change your culture, and empower your employees to innovate, consider investing in your managers to help them become effective as a “leader as coach”. And to make this part of the culture, this behavior needs to be modeled from all levels of leadership!

If you’re wondering about the best way to start, I’d love to connect. I thrive on helping leaders at all levels learn coaching skills, and I also thrive on holding them accountable to be the best they can be, ultimately helping their teams and organizations thrive!

“A good leader inspires others with confidence in the leader. A great leader inspires others with confidence in themselves.” Unknown