Line management matters

When I asked the question earlier this year:

What would have helped you most in your first line management role?

The answers were many and varied. One point that came up consistently was “knowing that I didn’t need to have all the answers”.

We often get promoted in to our first line management role because we are a strong performer; we’ve shown initiative, excelled in some way and the ‘reward’ is greater levels of responsibility (and hopefully the remuneration to go with it).?It is often an important milestone in our career development.

And then we get there.

And oh, *%&!, how the hell do I deal with this?!

Line management is a skill we develop – usually over time and through experience.?We have to have the space to learn but when we ‘get it wrong’ as a line manager, the consequences are often significant.

They impact on the people we manage.

And that impact can be painful.

A 2023 study by The Workplace Institute at UKG reported that 69% of the people they surveyed said their managers had the greatest impact on their mental health - more than any other relationship in their life. Just take a moment to let that sink in.

Relying on luck and learning-by-doing when we promote or recruit people in to their first line management role is a potentially dangerous strategy.

Managing conflict, communicating difficult messages, giving and receiving feedback well, delegating, setting expectations and managing performance were all topics that came up in response to my question.?These challenging conversations don’t have to be as hard as we make them.?When people have the right skills, guidance and support, we can learn good habits from early on in our career on how to engage people in open, honest and two-way dialogue.

When organisations are prepared to invest in their new line managers, they send the message that:

• We value the skill of managing people
• We care about our people and we want you to bring that to your management role
• We care about you
• We don’t expect you to have all the answers
• We know this is a skill that needs to be developed and we are going to put our money where our mouth is and invest in you to build your skills in this area.

I was lucky enough to work with a coach when I took on my first role as a line manager.

I struggled.

I was absolutely someone who had worked hard to prove my ability and was keen for that to be ‘rewarded’ through greater levels of responsibility.?I moved from being a member of a team to managing that team.?It is one of the hardest experiences of my career.?If I hadn’t been working with a coach I would have walked.

No question.

There were absolutely things that I got wrong. I found setting boundaries incredibly hard and I didn’t want to upset anyone, ever.

It was only in working through all of this with a coach that I could start to get out of my own way, build my confidence and get really clear on the kind of manager I wanted to be.

Looking back I think I would have benefited from some training in the basics alongside that coaching.?Some training that I could then work through in practice and reflect on with a coach.

In my work now as a coach the challenges of line management come up often - both from line managers and those being managed by someone who is struggling. It can be a huge source of stress.

In my conversations with fellow coach Fran Borg-Wheeler we agreed that there is a significant need for training in this area. We could see that supporting line managers would contribute significantly to creating thriving workplaces.

Over the course of 2023 we have created an affordable, flexible line management training programme for line managers in the charity sector. The first workshop will take place on 18 January. The response has been incredible and we are delighted to be able to offer a solution to a problem we could see in a way that is resonating with managers in the sector.

Across eight workshops we will cover the important skills for line managers. Participants can join one, some or all sessions depending on the skills the want to develop. All sessions are recorded so you don't have to miss anything if you can't make the live date. All the information is here.

How is your focus and support of line managers supporting the wellbeing of all staff??How is it supporting the creation of high-performing, thriving teams?

What is the cost of ignoring this area?

If you know this is an area that needs greater focus in your organisation, take at look at how this programme could help. We have also been approached by organisations to run the programme internally. Please contact me [email protected] or Fran [email protected] if you'd like to discuss this option for your organisation.

Line management matters.

It really does.