How Managers Can Supercharge Development

If the phrase “performance development” makes you cringe with thoughts of awkward annual reviews, you’re not alone: according to Gallup, traditional performance reviews and approaches to feedback are often so bad that about a third of the time they actually make performance worse. That’s a scary thought. However, research also shows that manager support is one of the most important factors when it comes to how we develop and apply new skills.

Performing a new skill competently, confidently, and consistently is not one-and-done; it requires repetition, practice, feedback, and reflection. In our new book, Sharon Boller and I go into detail about designing learning as a journey (below) rather than an event. Managers often get involved on the front end by identifying or approving an appropriate learning event – like a class or workshop. However, if learners are expected to apply learning in a way that produces results, they need support beyond that event for the necessary repetition and practice. While good instructional design can suggest measures for post-event support, managers are uniquely positioned to implement these activities.

The impact of a manager’s involvement in the learning journey cannot be overstated. In 2007, American Express conducted a study[1] to see which delivery medium (eLearning, instructor-led, or blended) was most effective for a new leadership development program. What they concluded was that the delivery medium was not nearly as important as the environment in which a learner applied their new knowledge. The study highlighted 3 key environmental criteria that best predicted the greatest performance improvement. (Spoiler alert: they're all manager-related.)

• Learners with the greatest improvement were four times more likely to have discussed with their manager how to apply the training to their job.
• They were more than twice as likely to believe they would be recognized or rewarded for their performance improvement.
• They were almost two times as likely to believe their manager was supportive of the training.

Despite these results, there are multiple reasons managers hesitate to take a larger role in the learning process. One such reason may be the fear of exposing their own knowledge gaps. But managers don’t have to be directly responsible for presenting or coaching the topic. The American Express study suggests that one of the best tools a manager has is simply being supportive of the training initiative. Another perceived obstacle is time; managers’ time is precious and in-demand. However, assuming managers already have weekly meetings with their direct reports, most support activities are simple conversations that can easily fit into those existing meetings.

Here’s a non-work example: As a parent, (a “momager," if you will) two members of my team are learning to read. Reading is a major skill in their education “career,” and one that is critical to their grade-level “promotion.” To help them make this leap will require lots of support, practice, and reinforcement. There are many ways I have supported their learning journey to meet the performance goal:

• Preparation: Before they started learning to read, I was reading to them. This was important for teaching foundational skills like vocabulary and language processing and for demonstrating what “good” looks like.
•  Learning: To be honest, I rely mostly on their teachers to introduce them to new reading concepts. This is not dissimilar to the workplace: just as I send my kids to the classroom to learn new concepts, an employee may first learn a new skill from a class or a colleague. The manager’s most valuable support comes after the initial learning.
• Repetition: At home, I provide practice opportunities like flash cards and timed reading drills to give them individualized repetition of what they’re learning at school.
• Application: I give them opportunities to apply their new skill in the “real world” by asking them to read signs and product labels around the house.
• Reflection: At major milestones, we reflect on their progress. For example, upon finishing kindergarten, what can they read now that they couldn’t previously? What are they looking forward to reading in first grade? Incentives are an organic part of the process, and include enthusiastic praise for small wins like reading a full page by themselves, or larger incentives (popsicles!) to push past big challenges like finishing an entire book.

What does this support look like in an organizational context? Below, I’ve listed some ways managers can support their teams through each step of a learning journey to ensure optimal performance results.

There is no one-size-fits-all equation. It is only natural that different tactics will work better for different humans. I’d love to continue adding to this list; which manager support tactics have YOU found most effective for performance development?

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*The brief example quotes are intended to help bring each tactic to life. In reality, each tactic likely occurs as a conversation with the employee to help clarify their expectations and ideas about the learning process as much as yours.

[1] American Express Corp., "The Real ROI of Leadership Development: Comparing Classroom vs. Online vs. Blended Delivery."