When you are managing managers, you should have a single focus; they are learning to manage their teams well and as a secondary objective that they are contributing at high levels. There are several experts in this area and I do not claim to be anywhere close; these are just reminders for myself.
Your team learns by modeling you.
There is little doubt that what you do, your team will emulate.
- If you provide autonomy, they in turn will give that to their teams. If you tell exactly how to manage, they will not be able to develop their own style of management.
- If you provide regular feedback they will emulate you. This feedback should not only include specific items that you want them to improve but also about things that went well.
- Set goals that are specific, measurable, achievable and time-bound. Set clear expections - this cannot be underscored enough, but without setting clear expectations, you cannot effectively measure performance.
- Communication and inclusivity is a given but when decisions are being made, include all those who are affected by those decisions when communicating plans. This gives managers the confidence to handle questions from their teams and be able to keep goals aligned across the entire organization.
- Providing a consistent and clear message is important to avoid confusion and mis-aligned goals. Changes occur but communicating those changes and more importantly why the changes occurred is important. The feeling of being left out of the loop breeds distrust.
- Formal training in how to manage is about creating a clear plan in how to provide feedback, how to conduct one-on-one meetings, how to define and agree on objectives, how to interview and how to train their teams.
