Are You Hurting Your Company When You Promote Employees to First Line Managers?

Are Your First-line Managers Promoted for the Wrong Reasons?

First-line managers (or whatever term your organization uses, like “first-line supervisors” or “team leaders”) are often promoted based on their hard skills, not soft skills. Hard skills make them successful employees, but a combination of hard and soft skills makes them successful first-line managers. If they don’t have the ability, desire, and opportunity to develop their soft skills, they will fail in their leadership positions.

Why Were They Promoted?

First-line managers are often promoted because of their job and technical skills. They were the best performer on their team, did quality work, were professional, showed up on time, and got along with their peers and upper management. Eventually, they were promoted, and they are now a manager. Does that sound familiar?

Why Are There Problems with so Many First-time Managers?

After a promotion, many organizations do not provide formal and ongoing training on how to be a good supervisor and manage other people.

New managers often don’t understand that the day they become a leader, their level of accountability shifts 180 degrees. They are no longer being evaluated on what they do personally, but on the success of the people reporting to them. They often know what they are supposed to do, but they don’t know how to do it.

We Teach the “How-to” Skills to First-line Managers

We offer an in-house management training program for first-line managers and supervisors. They will learn skills like how to communicate effectively, manage peers, and overcome conflict. We focus on the 10 core competencies they need to successfully lead and manage others. Try a course now to see how they will improve.