For most of us, our confidence fluctuates. While we may be an assertive and self-assured person in our home and social lives, our confidence at work is highly dependent on the environment in which we are operating, the position we have and the roles and responsibilities we are tasked with. In the course of our working lives, most of these factors will change, and it is expected that our confidence will adapt accordingly.
It’s perhaps most challenging when you become a manager for the first time; not only are you taking on a new job with increased responsibilities, you become accountable for a team of individuals. And it’s likely that as part of this transition, you will need to be constantly adding to your skill set – from learning new technical and practical skills, to developing a wider range of interpersonal, communication and decision-making skills.
Because the skill set is so broad, the learning curve potentially steep, and the need to be confident in our work so crucial to performance, how do we prioritise which is the most important?
In the recently released annual learning report by Linked In*, employers identified that the most critical skills they need their staff to acquire in 2020 are, perhaps surprisingly in this digital era, leadership and management. And this is because business leaders know that these skills will long outlast the impact of any technology led development, and that people and culture are still the keys to organisational success.
If you’ve ever managed or been managed, you’ll understand the critical role that managers play in engaging, motivating and retaining staff. But managers can only make a real impact in the workplace when they have the knowledge and skills to back them up. This is why we believe so strongly that all new managers need training and development to assist with the sometimes difficult shift from an individual contributor to a confident leader – one who not only must continue to do the work but, more importantly, lead others in doing their work.
Here are a few of the issues we regularly see new managers facing, and it’s why we have built a brand new training programme around them:
- Empowerment and confidence building
- Creating and maintaining effective communications
- Effective management, team working and conflict resolution
- Successfully handling difficult conversations
- Incorporating and developing pastoral care
- Developing essential HR skills
These are just a few of challenges, but there is much evidence to support that the impact of an unskilled manager can be quite significant, including decreased morale, poor communication, employee dissatisfaction, and a general drop in efficiency within the team being managed. Conversely, happy and productive workforces are invariably the result of excellent leadership and management.
If this subject is of interest to you, you can find out more on Developing Confident Management Skills – Foundational strategies and techniques for building a successful team – which has availability for Wednesday 10 June 2020 in London – or we can bring this event to you for in-house delivery.
Our trainer is the renowned Anne Castle – an experienced HR professional, highly knowledgeable in all aspects of interpersonal skills, management and personal development. Delegate feedback to her training with Olive Branch Consultancy has included:
Superb delivery by Anne, she made me feel comfortable and challenged at the same time.
Really thought-provoking, thank you.
Very motivating, involves thought and reflection.
Just drop us a line for full programme details. We’d love to hear from you!