Are we wrong in how we promote managers within our companies? Sometimes we need to fill a position and don’t want to have to introduce someone new to our teams or systems. Or, when an employee does their job exceptionally well, we want to reward them. Naturally, a common reward is a raise in pay, and when the employee has done well continuously, we want to reward them even more. If the pay gap between employees doing the same job is too large, we risk compromising our teams and creating competitive environments that do not feel fair. In order to avoid this, the common idea is to promote the exceptional employee to a managerial position.
Here are a few problems with these approaches:
1. Lack of managerial skills.
An exceptional data analyst or lab technician is not necessarily a good manager. They may have a great deal of experience in their field, but managerial skills require one to be a good leader, to understand the individuals and the skillsets on their team, and to make quick and informed decisions to solve problems. Some people might be exceptional at their original jobs and show prowess at managerial skills as well, but many people are promoted to a management position as a reward for good work in an entirely different context and we wonder when things do not go as planned.
2. Lack of confidence.
When an employee is promoted to a managerial position, they often feel a mix of pride at the recognition of their hard work, and nerves at the thought of suddenly being responsible for a team of ex-colleagues or similar. If the new manager recognizes the vast differences between their old responsibilities and their new ones and feel unprepared, they will often resort back to what they know they can do well. This often presents itself as micromanagement, as managers feel more comfortable doing what they know they can do well and they overextend their managerial reach into projects and work in which they used to be more directly involved. This leads employees to believe they are not trusted in their work or that they are not needed and they often experience negative working environments or a lack of motivation which ultimately leads to a vicious circle of micromanagement creating more distanced employees creating more micromanagement.
3. Breakdown of functioning teams.
As micromanagement drives a wedge between team leads and their employees, and individual employees and managers experience a drop in self-confidence and smooth interactions, teams begin to malfunction. This of course only increases the downward spiral that leads all members of the team (and especially the new manager) to feel a sense of failure and inadequacy. Such a team will have even more trouble climbing upwards to try and reach a point of positive productivity.
So what can we do to reward good workers without losing the integrity of our teams and our company’s forward momentum? An extreme change could be to move away from the traditional idea that a manager must necessarily earn more than their highest paid subordinate. As managers essentially are doing a very different job to those that they are managing, why is the thought that they must always be on a similar scale of pay to those they are managing? To see people be rewarded for doing what they do well without uprooting them and putting them far outside their comfort zone without the proper support would be a drastic change to the current system.
Less extreme and much more realistic is the idea of proper transition of and support for new managers and their teams. Actively recognize that managerial skills are not innate and allow for managers to slowly build their confidence in their new role and for their team members to understand that a new manager will also need guidance from the team itself to best understand how this team must be managed.
Allow for new managers to hold onto some of their old responsibilities at first, to provide opportunities to excel at something without feeling the need to micromanage someone else’s work. If possible, allow for the new manager to take over slowly and ideally with a coach or mentor who can be a sounding board for eventual problems and a source of experience and guidance for the skills needed to do the very different role they now occupy.
With some thought and planning and a little understanding of what is and is not realistic for a new manager and their team to adapt to such a big change, you can take a well-functioning team and progress your staff’s skillsets and careers while moving your business forward in a positive and productive manner. If you rush things or ignore the need for training, coaching, and support for new managers, you should not be surprised if you see a breakdown of your teams and work environment.
Choose to be proactive as opposed to reactive.
Comments