Are you a Manager of Managers?
I am back after a hiatus. Last month was exciting with meeting customers and discussing how they are looking to leverage AI for leadership development in their organizations. I loved sharing what we are doing at Risely, and getting their feedback. Well, more on this later.
Today’s topic is how you develop other managers who report to you. After all, you are responsible for their development. If they are not good managers, your overall performance will suffer.
One of the most worrying aspects of being a manager is trying to develop management and leadership potential in others. After all, the game does not end with you; that’s just the beginning. You need a whole army that can follow through and add more to the precedents you are setting.
This is especially crucial in three scenarios:
- you are managing more managers
- you are a founder manager
- you are soon hunting for a successor for your team
The question and trouble in all three scenes are quite similar: How should I motivate my team to pursue leadership development opportunities more effectively?
Here are a few things that I have tried to unlock the leadership potential of my team members across the two decades of my professional journey:
#1 Create small instances of learning that don’t really feel like learning
No one appreciates being taken out of their desk and dropped in front of an executive coach describing how many types of leaders exist. But a new project is coming up and hunting for its leader? Sign me up quick!
This is even easier for team members who are eager and open to professional growth, as they look forward to these opportunities and might find the conventional training routes boring. This gives them practical experience and shows you how well they can perform, giving a quick assessment of readiness for a leadership role soon down the line.
Plus, the experience gained this way is better than what any other stimulation could create. In a recent Forbes article, Harrison Monarth advocated integrating experiential learning into such initiatives.
#2 Show them the real deal
A level of curiosity persists around a leader or manager from their team. For many awe-inspiring managers, this is a great sign of loyalty and support from their team members. In that case, winning over your team members to take them onto the next step of their professional journeys is about building camaraderie and sharing ideas.
If I want to motivate my team members to take up additional responsibilities, I would prefer to spend much time explaining how it goes and what it leads to. And no, I am not talking about explaining like a teacher while they listen and nod. It’s about involving them as an active participant in the process. Ask them questions. Make them think if the process is right. Give them a real inside view of a manager or leader’s role. This is like a mix of job shadowing and coaching in one cocktail.
#3 Showcase the impact of leadership development in their terms
The leadership development program matters to you because you want to hand over the team to someone soon, but that’s not a concern for your team members. If you are pushing them toward a leadership or management development program, showcase the value it can bring to their lives.
Would it help them overcome long-held challenges like difficulty being assertive? Would it give them an edge over other colleagues? Can it give them the skills to move to their dream role? These programs need to answer those questions before seeking approval and excitement from the participants. If little happens beyond increasing performance metrics, their engagement would have little impact.
Now, how can you do this? As their manager and leader, you are well-positioned to understand their motivations, needs, and challenges while having the insights to guide them toward the right path.
These three things have certainly helped me motivate my team at some point; what are your go-to ideas? I’d love to hear them, too!
Let’s bring change: one feedback at a time.
We’ve built Candor as a tool to share anonymous feedback from employees with team managers. It’s free. Give it a spin here and start connecting.
