Great humor can be found in bad management.  Hollywood and pop culture has certainly capitalized on workplace rituals and the absurdity of particular management styles. The Office seems like it will always be relevant and let’s not forget about my personal favorite, the 1999 classic, Office Space.  The comic strip Dilbert, which has been spawned several books, a television show, a video game and countless merchandise items, highlights the “joys” of micromanagement and workplace misery.

While we can all have a good laugh watching Michael Scott’s latest antics, when you are an employee working for a bad manager, there is nothing funny about it.  Aside from adversely affecting employee morale, a bad manager is costly to an organization in many ways.

Why is it that there are so many bad managers?   Most importantly, how do organizations appropriately use resources to develop good managers?

I don’t believe anyone sets out to be a bad manager.  Although we all follow different paths, in the end, most of us try our best to excel in our field and “move up.” The “moving up” is where the problem begins.

In addition to learning the core skills which are needed to succeed in jobs, good managers must have crucial leadership skills. But where did employees pick up the skills to lead and manage if they weren’t taught during the initial training and education for the position?  Simply because an employee is good at their profession, doesn’t mean they are naturally gifted to lead.

This is where organizations can take steps to help.  While many employers spend a great deal of resources on recruiting and on-boarding and continue their efforts with skills training and career development, many miss the opportunity to focus on management development training.

Some suggestions.

  1. Create a manager on-boarding training program: Similar to a new hire on-boarding program, organizations should create a new manager training program and require all staff who move into a management position to complete the program. The orientation can be quite time consuming, up to 18 months for an external hire and 12 months for those hired within, but the time invested will prove beneficial in the end. The training should include, but not be limited to, performance management, dealing with conflict, interviewing and recruiting, and effective communication. New managers should learn and understand all HR processes and policies. Assign your new manager a peer mentor – someone who can help with the learning curve of effectively dealing with people.
  2. Build relationships: New managers should be required to dedicate time to building relationships. They should seek to understand the challenges of their team and the current set of priorities. Scheduling one-on-one meetings with staff and colleagues is an effective way to gain insight into the team and build trust.
  3. Lead by example: As organizations groom good managers, they will be able to lead by example and prove to staff that good leadership is an esteemed value within the organization. New managers will have mentors and will better understand the expectations of their role.
  4. Address poor management as you would poor performance: Don’t allow poor management to continue. Organizations are often quick to address performance issues, such as low production or lack of accuracy, but are reluctant to address poor leadership. Effective and positive management is an expectation of the position and should be addressed as any other performance issue.
  5. Reward good management: Don’t simply address poor management, applaud fantastic management that can be showcased and replicated by other managers!

Employers should not underestimate the power of a good manager.  When I speak to colleagues about their most rewarding work experiences, they are often tied to good management.  Retain your best and brightest by giving them the benefit of a good manager, leader, and mentor.  It is a worthwhile investment.