All sizes of business need to prepare for the future and this can only be achieved with strong leadership.
Most of us will have had some experience of working for a bad manager. They may have been unable to delegate, inept at communicating or simply failed to inspire. They may have been brilliant in a technical role, or a super sales person but, once in charge, were shown to be severely lacking in people skills.
Management training cannot make everyone a brilliant leader, but for those who are prepared to work hard, it can provide the skills necessary to make a real difference. It is particularly important if a company is expanding or there are plans for it to grow as a result of a merger or acquisition.
At Platform, all managers recently attended an 11-week course run by the Institute of Leadership and Management to achieve the Certificate in Team Leading. The aim was to provide practising – and, crucially, potential team leaders – with indepth understanding of the skills, qualities and best practices required to become an effective manager.
Allowing staff out of the office to attend training is often difficult to arrange. This course meant taking one day a week away from the workplace – something which was challenging - but it is also far more difficult to learn if you are based on site and can be interrupted. It also involved completing a project and some home study.
Significant benefits
For anyone who already has a pressurised job, taking on a demanding course may not seem feasible. But, providing the right programme is selected, there are significant and long-term benefits.
Everyone at Platform, who took part in this course, achieved their certificate and agreed overwhelmingly that the hard work had been worth it. The areas covered included:
- Motivation
- Coaching
- Maintaining discipline
- Communication
- Managing information
- Planning a team’s work
- Identifying health and safety risks
- Self development
- Dealing with conflict
- Managing change
Change is core to any company as it grows and if a manager can’t respond, there is little hope for the rest of the employees. It is vital that companies are looking ahead – say at least three years – and they need the best managers to take the company forward.
Succession planning
One of the big issues facing many companies – and mortgage brokers are no exception – is succession planning. There are plenty of firms reliant on one – or a small team – at the top and in the event of a sudden departure, the business can suffer. At worst, it could even fold. Forget the ‘heir and a spare’ argument – few people remain with the same company for their entire working lives and you need to spread the net to ensure the company can cope with any eventuality.
Succession planning is easier if you have an adequate supply of competent people ready to fill management roles. For this, they need to be trained.
Some are sceptical about training, or prefer this to be purely technically focused. Good managers are more likely to be poached, but a firm that offers a real career path will also be more attractive to new recruits. Knowing management training in place is also appealing to more ambitious junior staff and increases loyalty.
Tangible improvements
There are many courses out there and care should be taken to select the right one. At the end of it, there should be tangible improvements. These could include better time management, the confidence and ability to embrace change and better working relationships between team members. A manager should be adept at coaching and able to produce first-rate personal development plans for team members.
Managers who take their training on board should find they are less tied down with day-to-day tasks and can begin to think more strategically.
To succeed in management requires a breadth of understanding across the different functions of a business, as well as an understanding where it is going within its markets and a changing environment. It is no good being a purely technical or sales guru; the manager needs all-round knowledge to include regulatory awareness and understanding of the financials. They also need to be focused on recruitment and retention issues.
Longer term, we all know that the ageing population is going to lead to a smaller pool of talent. The demand for good professionals will continue to exceed supply and the process of attracting and keeping good staff will become more demanding, with professionals seeking to work with organisations that are the best in their fields.
Now is the time for all businesses who want to be around in the years to come to start thinking about training their managers – they can be certain that their switched-on rivals will have this firmly on the agenda.
