For the past several years we have been seeing the depletion of middle management ranks because of the downsizing of those with the most management experience. Let's face it: those with the most management experience and acumen have more than 15 years experience, have passed the age of 40...or 50...and yes, they were the higher paid managers in most companies. Oddly, growth companies have not sought their expertise even while lamenting the lack of management talent.
To almost the same degree -- but for totally different reasons -- first line supervisors have also been hard to find and, without managers to help develop their talents, there is also a void in those ranks as well.
Finally, to top things off, managers and supervisors are becoming more open about their disenchantment with being managers. After all, what are the rewards? In a recent Wall Street Journal article, managers were saying that they felt like babysitters, what some have been calling "mentoring." Others are disillusioned by the fact that their expectations are not met: unlike managers of old, they receive neither support, nor compensation, nor recognition for being good managers.
What is a "good" management development program? It is one in which the knowledge gained can be brought back to the work site and implemented immediately. It is one which increases the knowledge and hence productivity of the manager and the team that is managed, and one which ultimately shows up in profitability. It is not a program which teaches a new language that will disappear in a year or so when the fad disappears.
There are three management and supervisory development programs which I conduct. Very briefly, these are:
Legalities in Personnel: There are several versions of this program which we have (with modifications of course) been running for many years. One is for California employers, one for companies which deal primarily with federal labor codes, and one that takes into consideration Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, or Washington State codes. In this seminar, we discuss everything from what should go into an employee handbook to the reasons for not having certain policies and procedures. Other topics: use of testing in hiring, classification of employees, drug testing, privacy issues, personnel files, etc.
Management Development: Based on management by objectives, decision-making, the uses of job descriptions, and performance evaluation processes, and using the core tools within planning, organizing, directing and controlling, we teach methods for gaining cooperation, for communicating, and for building and rewarding team and individual efforts toward reaching common goals.
Supervisory Development: Supervisors often need more basic skills than managers, sometimes even work in oral and written communications. They still need a grounding in the legalities of administration as well as the tools for planning and controlling. This seminar or workshop is based in part on current "case studies" and how to handle various very real situations in which first line and first-time supervisors face.
No program, process, or training can work without senior management "buying into" and supporting the development. If management gives lip service only to the development of middle managers and supervisors, any process is doomed to failure. Therefore, we do require that at least two senior managers participate in the management programs and two managers participate in the supervisory development.
If you would like more information about in-house seminars or workshops, please email or call 1-800-823-6366.