If All Managers Aren’t Created Equal, Why Do We Treat Them As If They Are?

 Don’t think we do? Look at how we deliver performance management training. We pretend that one size fits all.  Wouldn’t it make more sense to match training and development to specific abilities?

Here are snapshots of three types of managers who have vastly different training needs — along with practical training suggestions matched to their particular needs.

The Naturals & Near Greats

How to Spot: Everyone knows a natural when they meet one. Enough said. The Near Greats are the ones you catch reading the Harvard Business Review. Both kinds are rare and invaluable individuals. Either they just get it intuitively — or they pride themselves on figuring it out.

Suggestions: Why not unleash the talents of these masters of employee motivation?  Go crazy. Instead of requiring these superstars to give annual reviews, simply encourage them to continue using the alternative methods they’ve honed — which have already proven to get superior results.

The Clueless

How to Spot: Clueless is a harsh but accurate label for 1) Non- conversational English speakers; and 2) Socially-challenged managers. Both have distinct problems but they share one common trait—disastrous results.  Some make stellar individual contributions but their expertise doesn’t transfer to people who work with them. 

·      Language-challenged managers star in the Silicon Valley version of  “The Emperor’s New Clothes.”  Everyone simply ignores the language barrier.

·      Socially challenged managers typically can’t read social clues. This kind of person isn’t hardwired to understand team dynamics or individual motivation.

Suggestions: This special group cries out for individual, one-on-one performance training. It’s a glorious day for the company when these challenged managers “get it” through individually nuanced preparation for the job.

The Scoffers

How to Spot: Scoffers resist making any improvements in their methods. They refuse to acknowledge that quality management is a job requirement. This type won’t even admit, for example, that positive reinforcement is a proven management technique.

Suggestions: I would tell this group that developing and applying management skill is a condition of employment for managers. Then I would start a special program — called “The Door”— for managers who won’t do the job.