No matter the size of a company, if it doesn’t have leadership that is well trained it is doomed to fail. Leaders from upper and mid-management must be able to guide, address, and help grow the workforce needed to take on the challenges that lay ahead for the organization. Even though the evidence is quite clear, most companies forgo proper leadership training for mid-level management. This is counterintuitive as mid-level managers are the leaders who need it the most.
Why do they need it? They are the face of upper management to employees and are the first line of defense in keeping the well-oiled machine that is your company going forward. If they are not given the tools needed for the job, it will show up in the employees, and then the problems will cascade from there. If you invest in your managers you will find that the following can happen:
Improved employee morale
Turn-over in a company can happen as old employees phase out to new opportunities that lead them toward their career goals. It isn’t abnormal for this to happen, but when you have a high rate of turn-over in a specific department, usually that is a sign of low morale which is forever linked to poor leadership.
To develop a positive environment, ask the following questions in order to improve morale:
- Are the employees given a roadmap toward their goals?
- Is their work being acknowledged?
- Are employees allowed to provide open and honest feedback?
- Is that feedback being utilized?
If employees have these tools given to them, it helps to ensure higher rates of employee retention. By teaching these simple steps and how to act on them, your mid-level leaders can help lower employee turnover and boost morale.
Reduction in conflict
The primary job of most leaders is to communicate clearly and efficiently with their staff about what is needed to get the job done. By being clear about what is required, employees will know who is assigned what and when it is due. If a conflict arises for other reasons, a properly trained manager will know how to de-escalate the problem and smooth over the rough patches between the two parties. Having these skills in place before a problem arises will keep the working environment a positive one because employees will see their managers as people who want to help.
Increase in productivity
Most people tie increasing productivity to placing a higher quota on a workforce. What if you didn’t have to raise the workload to get higher productivity from your staff?
When a manager is trained effectively, it places them in a better position to educate and train up staff members. The benefit of additional training to staff who have already been hired for their roles is increased efficiency in their work that yields fewer mistakes. Not having to repeat work or have deadlines slip will lead to higher productivity and thus save both company time and money. Team training also leads to greater team cohesion because everyone will be on the same skill level.
Give the next generation of leaders a leg up
The workforce is only aging, and each year a veteran leader retires while a younger person takes their place. This person will not have the years of experience that just left the building, but there can be an expectation of them to be as seasoned as the departing manager.
Providing training that allows this new manager to face their new responsibilities will give them the foundation they need to make their leadership style shine. Setting up managers for success is paramount.
Before you can reap the rewards of this leadership training, you have to find a training program that works for your company. NexaLearning has a proven process that utilizes four components to create a blended learning solution. Our teaching staff all have decades of experience helping to turn managers into leaders. We have the testimonials and the track record to prove an extremely high return on your investment. Contact us today to get started by calling us at 800-683-0681 or email us at info@nexalearning.com.
Download a copy of our whitepaper "Great Leaders are Made Not Born". Find out the benefits and the strategies for implementing a leadership training program.
