10 Signs That Your New Frontline Managers Need Training

When new managers are hired they are being given the opportunity to lead, supervise, mentor, and motivate others, and their ability to do so makes a huge impact on your company’s success. But too often first-time managers are thrown into their new roles with little to no management training. This can lead to poor management, which can cause high turnover rates, workplace stress, and declines in employee productivity.

Here are the signs and traits that may signify new managers need training:

They Use Abrasive Communication

Abrasive managers display behaviors ranging from mild offenses to open attacks. This behavior creates interpersonal friction that often leads to resentment and disrupts workflow. If your new manager can’t communicate a problem without belittling or yelling at employees, they may need management training to learn how to communicate constructively.

They Manage With Fear or Intimidation

Too often managers think employees must be intimidated or shamed into following instructions and avoiding mistakes. This is a dangerous tactic that causes unnecessary stress among employees and leads to a decline in productivity.

They Ignore Non-Performers

Some managers have difficulty confronting non-performers, while others ignore them in hopes that underperforming employees will somehow manage to change. Meanwhile, everyone else on the team has to pick up the slack. This is a dangerous approach that can lead to resentment and low team morale.

They Have Trouble Delegating Work

No one can take on everything, but sometimes managers believe delegating makes them less important, so they cling to their authority and micromanage their employees. This tactic can have negative effects on the organization and often leads to a lower quality of work.

They Steal Credit for the Good and Pass Blame for the Bad

It’s hard to hold together a team when mistakes occur and the temptation to point fingers may be hard to resist. However, good leaders take more than their share of the blame and less than their share of the credit.

They Have Trouble Providing Constructive Criticism

Employees have the right to expect that their manager will be able to offer mentorship and direction. When a manager has no problem pointing out the mistakes but provides little to no insight about how to improve, employees become discouraged and frustrated.

They Know Everything

Arrogance is a dangerous characteristic to begin with, but it can be toxic when it comes to managing a team. The best managers are open to learning from others and rarely take a “my way or the highway” stance on matters in the workplace.

They Fail to Update the Team

One of the worst mistakes a manager can make is failing to communicate important or relevant information to their team. While there are instances when it’s better to operate on a need-to-know basis, sharing appropriate updates with the team is important to building trust and team morale.

They Expect Subordinates to Mind-Read

If a manager expects subordinates to know what’s coming next but doesn’t provide context or guidance, then subordinates are set up for failure. This issue may be easily fixed with leadership and communication training to help your manager understand the best way to convey expectations to their team.

They Fail to Plan for Future Concerns

Jumping from emergency to emergency is stressful for managers and their teams. If your new manager seems to operate one step away from disaster, it is time to consider training to improve their goal-setting and time-management abilities to ensure the team doesn’t suffer from the manager’s poor planning.

At join us at the ATD SELL Conference to see what Sandler’s management training programs can do for your managers if you think they need more training.