New Manager Training Tips For L&D Pros
The modern learner is busy, digital savvy and keen to develop their career. But why is it that so many new managers are still not getting the training they need in order to succeed? We’ve put together this handy article to share insights and findings from numerous research sites and experts to share what you need to do to deliver the best possible new manager training in the modern workplace.
1. Making Decisions On Behalf Of New Managers Does Not Lead To Better Engagement
Figures show that 73% of L&D are still of the opinion that their staff lack skills to manage their own learning [1]. Employees are already taking control of their own learning. Smartphones are everywhere and search engines offer pages and pages of information, so using technology to find the answers we need has become second nature.
L&D teams need to focus their efforts on providing solutions that support this motivation for instant answers rather than focusing on traditional methods like courses and classroom sessions. We need to stop assuming L&D knows best and instead guide new managers rather than dictating their training.
Better engagement comes when employees feel their needs and problems are being addressed. Listen to your new managers, what kinds of problems are they facing? What are their concerns? By improving communication and listening to the day-to-day business issues, you’re far more likely to improve the learning experience by acting on feedback and providing solutions that your new managers need and want.
2. New Managers Care Most About Career Development, Not Compensation And Benefits
Bersin’s IMPACT 2018 report shows that career development and learning are almost 2x more important to employees than compensation, benefits, and work environment [2]. This proves that new managers care more about their future with the company rather than ‘benefits’. L&D teams need to focus on keeping employees happy long-term and that means investing in their development.
Investment doesn’t mean you need to spend more money piling them with new programmes and software. It means focus on the information that really matters to them. Utilise your senior managers and share their expertise with your new managers. What would have helped them when they started their role? Pack this useful information into digital resources and promote a culture of collaboration and continuous development.
94% of employees have said they would stay at a company longer if it invested in their career development [3]. Their motivations are clear so your digital resources need to reflect that you understand and can act that to ensure they can see they’re being invested in. This can start even before your new managers have started their new roles. Preboarding resources can easily be created to provide not only useful knowledge before they start but also peace of mind and confidence.
3. Digital Is Here To Stay So You Need To Utilise It, Not Fear It
Towards Maturity’s Bridging the Divide report found that only 46% of L&D have skills in house to actively support ongoing workplace performance [1].
So many organisations are already utilising technology for their training and, in the modern workplace, where we’re so digitally connected, there’s no excuse for not having the right tools in place to support your new managers.
These are just a few of the ways digital can help your new manager training:
- Your training is not limited to specific hardware or location.
- Your training content can be updated immediately.
- Your new managers can learn in the workflow.
- You can address specific points-of-need.
- Your new managers will be productive and up-to-date much more quickly.
- You can instantly address performance gaps and issues.
L&D needs to stop fearing new ways of training and instead, embrace technology and use it as a business advantage instead.
4. Your New Managers Are Critical To The Success Of The Whole Business
Did you know that managers account for at least 70% of employee engagement scores [3]?
Managers have a huge impact on the engagement and impression of their teams so your training needs to start with them. When you give your new managers positive training experiences, you’ll find they are far more likely to not only manage correctly but recommend training to their teams.
Creating training programs to get managers engaged with L&D is critical to the success of your whole training platform, so it’s important to get them involved in the process. 53% of managers say they would invest more time encouraging learning for their direct reports if it was a path to promotion for employees [3]. If they can see the value of your training programme, and how it will impact the performance of their teams, you’ll find they’re much more likely to not only engage themselves but also ensure their teams want to learn.
Tap into the motivations of your new managers by finding out what their main issues and problems are and address these in your training. Remember; managers are busy, so make sure your training is quick, relevant and easy to access.
In Summary
L&D needs to move away from “teaching”. Instead, create an environment where employees can truly learn in the workflow. Give your new managers an environment to gain insights from senior managers, acknowledge and reward development, reward the experts for sharing their expertise and look for a platform that supports the modern learner in the workflow.
If you want your new managers to be happy and successful, you need to ensure learning is a high priority within your organisation and focus on creating a new manager training programme that really taps into their motivations and supports them to further their career.
Training new managers has always been important, but the workplace has transformed rapidly since the rise in digital and therefore it’s important to ensure your organisation can keep up. Download the eBook Impactful New Manager Training Using A NextGen LMS: A Complete Guide For L&D Professionals and find out how good leaders will guide their teams to achieve higher performance, better productivity, and improved morale, so training your managers in the right way is essential.
References:
[1] In Focus: Bridging the Divide
