I am passionate about helping new managers succeed. That passion directly influences the purpose and values of NetSpeed Leadership. That passion attracts consultants who parter with us to deliver highly effective training programs to that most critical level of leadership.
Think about it for a minute. New managers often step into their first management roles directly from technical or line positions based solely on their professional accomplishments. Often they are expected to manage others' performance with no formal training of any kind. By some research, well over half the organizations surveyed admitted that they had no supervisor training in place to support new managers as they moved into their first management role.
So imagine the obstacles facing these new supervisors. They are likely supervising former peers, some of whom applied for the same position. They are expected to deal with performance issues and problems. They know they should coach their employees but may have only a general notion of what that means. They may feel more comfortable contributing through their technical or operational skills (at least that gives them a sense of mastery!) than attempting to influence or direct the work of a team.
The #1 reason employees leave organizations is the relationship with their supervisor or manager. At the first level (or frontline), it is these new supervisors who have a tremendous impact on the productivity of their work units and the retention of employees. And yet many organizations expect them to "get it" through osmosis.
If I sound a bit rabid about this topic, it comes from personal experience. I was promoted into my first management role in the human resources department of a bank. With no real skills, I set about mandating compliance from my team of employees. One of them quit within four months of my promotion. I was humbled to read her exit survey. From a list of 20 possible reasons for leaving the bank and the direction to "check all that apply," she had boldly checked one reason alone: my supervisor.
That response set me on the path to developing my own managerial skills and lead to the creation of NetSpeed Leadership. I want to thank one of our consultants, Dan Kennedy, who asked me the question: "Why do you do what you do?" as he evaluated whether to partner with us. His question allowed me to articulate, once again, why this work is so important.
If you share this passion for developing the new leaders in your organization, then contact us. We'd love to help you...and we're pretty darn passionate about it.
