Our shop manager is a doer. His hands are on the machines because the right people aren’t working for him. He doesn’t give out enough warnings, says he doesn’t have time to look for people to hire. He’d rather do the work than step back and manage. What can we do to help him transition from doer to manager?
THOUGHTS OF THE DAY: Doers to managers are made, not born. You will have to help your shop guy make time to step back and assess. Recruiting is a specialized skill. Find someone in the shop who can be a great second in command.
Developing a managerial style takes practice
To begin, take stock of the skills, deficits, strengths, and weaknesses of this new manager. What does she do well? As a manager, what does he skip or avoid? In which situations does he keep his cool? And what causes her to get stressed out?
Figure out what additional areas of training would be beneficial. Consider upgrading skills related to workflow management, purchasing, IT, and cybersecurity. Look for courses on leadership. Include decision-making and ethics.
Make it clear that you expect your manager to beef up skills. Encourage reading, meet regularly to discuss how things are going, build a schedule that includes time off for training. Encourage the pursuit of certifications that are relevant to the job.
Help your shop manager step back and assess
Encourage your manager to explore his personal behavior style. as he learns to recognize the behavior styles of others. Practice ways to provide positive and negative feedback. Get training on managing teams and empowering people to perform.
Promote diversity training, so that your manager gets comfortable recruiting, educating, and managing people from different backgrounds. As he transitions from doer to manager, help him expand the pool of suitable job candidates. Increase the longevity of workers who don’t currently fit neatly into the manager’s comfort zone.
Encourage your manager to over-hire, so that there are enough people in place when someone leaves or goes on vacation. Cut out delays related to waiting too long for an employee to turn around poor behavior. Put policies in place. Anytime a person goes on probation, the job is automatically posted internally and externally.
Recruiting is a specialized skill
Sit in on several interviews to see how your manager handles herself. Does she focus on getting to know the candidate by listening to the candidates’ stories? Does he spend too much time talking about himself or the job or the company? Make a list of suggestions that will help your manager improve at interviewing.
Develop scripts for a phone screen, first and second face-to-face interviews. Assign someone in administration place job ads and screen candidates. Implement screening tests that assess candidates’ skills for a particular job. Insist on finalists going through interviews with other managers, and ask the managers to hash out any differences or concerns before making any offers.
Find a great second in command
Ask your manager to identify and train a second in command. This person can step up when the manager is out on vacation and when things get too busy for one person to manage effectively. Send this second in command through the same training program as the one you’re developing for your manager. Encourage your manager to take regular breaks — time off from work — which will give him time to think and gain perspective.
LOOKING FOR A GOOD BOOK? Try “The Effective Manager” by Mark Horstman.
