Why the Chronic Underinvestment?

We all know the story – it’s truly as old as time.  A strong individual contributor gets promoted to frontline management and receives little to no support or training.  Expectations for the people manager side of the job are vague or non-existent.  Stress and frustration ensue – for the new manager and their team.  

I’m forever befuddled as to why this underinvestment trend persists. Their direct manager embodies the organization for most employees. Staff engagement and loyalty stem from their day to day experience – the impact of the manager is often be huge.  Yet, there seems to be an assumption that these key individuals will “naturally figure it all out.”

Managing and leading people has never been easy, but in the new world of work it is even more so, characterized as it is by remote and hybrid workplace models and increased distractions.  Leaders and mangers today must be adept at managing virtual teams, fostering results in distributed environments, and maintaining company culture via digital mediums.

The dynamics of this changing world also require leaders to be more empathetic, adaptable, and tech savvy than ever. Without proper training and development, even the most naturally talented leaders may struggle to traverse these challenges.

This investment in managers and leaders can take many forms, including but not limited to:

• Tailored skill building that includes training, peer discussions and mentoring

• Individual and team coaching

• Cross-functional exposure

The time to act is now. Hoping that this pivotal cohort will "figure it out" is no longer a viable strategy. The future success of organizations may well depend on how seriously they take this imperative.