Comments on: HR’s Big Job? Help Managers Be Better Managers http://www.knowhr.com/blog/2007/12/19/hrs-big-job-help-managers-be-better-managers/ Know More HR. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:06:41 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Wally Bock http://www.knowhr.com/blog/2007/12/19/hrs-big-job-help-managers-be-better-managers/comment-page-1/#comment-2763 Wally Bock Wed, 19 Dec 2007 23:38:45 +0000 http://www.knowhr.com/blog/2007/12/19/hrs-big-job-help-managers-be-better-managers/#comment-2763 True enough, Frank. Bad managers abound in each new generation. But it doesn't have to be that way. We would go a long way toward fixing things by putting people in management jobs who have both the aptitude and desire for the work. We don't do that. Mostly we promote good salespeople to sales manager, good accountants to accounting manager, etc. Then we need to help them through a transition that most often lasts over a year. We don't do that. We figure that they can make one of the hardest transitions in business in a couple of days. We could provide training to help them learn the new tasks they will need to do. We could provide a peer support network. We could provide a development system that follows an apprentice training model. But we don't. We make it sink or swim and let those bad managers take the whole team to the bottom with them. True enough, Frank. Bad managers abound in each new generation. But it doesn’t have to be that way. We would go a long way toward fixing things by putting people in management jobs who have both the aptitude and desire for the work. We don’t do that. Mostly we promote good salespeople to sales manager, good accountants to accounting manager, etc. Then we need to help them through a transition that most often lasts over a year. We don’t do that. We figure that they can make one of the hardest transitions in business in a couple of days. We could provide training to help them learn the new tasks they will need to do. We could provide a peer support network. We could provide a development system that follows an apprentice training model. But we don’t. We make it sink or swim and let those bad managers take the whole team to the bottom with them.

]]> By: Frank Roche http://www.knowhr.com/blog/2007/12/19/hrs-big-job-help-managers-be-better-managers/comment-page-1/#comment-2762 Frank Roche Wed, 19 Dec 2007 18:26:24 +0000 http://www.knowhr.com/blog/2007/12/19/hrs-big-job-help-managers-be-better-managers/#comment-2762 Rick, it's sad, huh? Here we are headed into 2008, and it's the same old stuff, redux. I'm afraid bad managers abound in each new generation. Rick, it’s sad, huh? Here we are headed into 2008, and it’s the same old stuff, redux. I’m afraid bad managers abound in each new generation.

]]> By: rick http://www.knowhr.com/blog/2007/12/19/hrs-big-job-help-managers-be-better-managers/comment-page-1/#comment-2761 rick Wed, 19 Dec 2007 18:20:19 +0000 http://www.knowhr.com/blog/2007/12/19/hrs-big-job-help-managers-be-better-managers/#comment-2761 Why on this topic in particular do I feel like we are saying the same things that my B-scholl professors were saying in the late 1970s? have companies made so little progress? Why on this topic in particular do I feel like we are saying the same things that my B-scholl professors were saying in the late 1970s? have companies made so little progress?

]]> By: Frank Roche http://www.knowhr.com/blog/2007/12/19/hrs-big-job-help-managers-be-better-managers/comment-page-1/#comment-2760 Frank Roche Wed, 19 Dec 2007 12:44:38 +0000 http://www.knowhr.com/blog/2007/12/19/hrs-big-job-help-managers-be-better-managers/#comment-2760 Michelle, you're right, it's the system that needs to get fixed. And it's the system that allows bad managers to figure out workarounds. I'm all in favor in Up or Out for bad managers, but there has to be a process that supports being a good manager to make it work. Thanks for bringing that up. Excellent. Michelle, you’re right, it’s the system that needs to get fixed. And it’s the system that allows bad managers to figure out workarounds. I’m all in favor in Up or Out for bad managers, but there has to be a process that supports being a good manager to make it work. Thanks for bringing that up. Excellent.

]]> By: Michelle Malay Carter http://www.knowhr.com/blog/2007/12/19/hrs-big-job-help-managers-be-better-managers/comment-page-1/#comment-2759 Michelle Malay Carter Wed, 19 Dec 2007 12:41:43 +0000 http://www.knowhr.com/blog/2007/12/19/hrs-big-job-help-managers-be-better-managers/#comment-2759 Frank, Yes, I agree. I agree. And, I think HR's time would be well spent helping the ORGANIZATION help managers be better managers by seeing that consistent, integrated systems, practices, and policies for managerial leadership, organization design, and talent management are in place. Systems drive behavior and telegraph values. We can coach and train one "bad" manager at a time, and then send him back into a disfunctional system, and we will get more of the same. Or we can spend our time at the system level to eliminate conflicts of interest and roadblocks to productive work, and watch everyone respond positively at once. I'm OK. You're OK. Let's fix the system. Regards, Michelle Malay Carter Frank,

Yes, I agree. I agree. And, I think HR’s time would be well spent helping the ORGANIZATION help managers be better managers by seeing that consistent, integrated systems, practices, and policies for managerial leadership, organization design, and talent management are in place.

Systems drive behavior and telegraph values. We can coach and train one “bad” manager at a time, and then send him back into a disfunctional system, and we will get more of the same.

Or we can spend our time at the system level to eliminate conflicts of interest and roadblocks to productive work, and watch everyone respond positively at once.

I’m OK. You’re OK. Let’s fix the system.

Regards,

Michelle Malay Carter

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