Benefits of Manager Training
We've all heard the story of Manhattan being sold for $24 in trinkets. Bad deal for the Indians, right? Maybe not. Had the "sellers" taken advantage of compounding interest, say 8% annually, that $24 would today be worth more than the aggregate real estate value of Manhattan.
It's true: When earned interest is added back to the principal each year, stunning growth occurs. This compounding effect applies to manager training, as well, and it's why manager training gets results! When managers are taught to take full advantage of techniques that improve the performance of the people around them, those improvements become part of the whole, and can be improved upon again and again, from employee to employee, with exceptional results.
Good managers make a difference
Good people can triumph over inadequate processes. They do it all the time. They learn to improvise and overcome. They get the job done in spite of obstacles.
But the best people with the best processes can't triumph over bad managers. Bad management trumps everything. If you've ever worked for a bad manager, and most everyone has at some time, you know the damage they can cause. When things are going poorly, it's usually not the process or the people, it's the management.
A clear example of this can be found in the results of a study done by KnowledgePool, which has created learning content for global corporations for more than 40 years. They surveyed more than 10,000 employees who had gone through various kinds of training in a wide array of industries and found that 69% said they applied what they were taught and experienced significant performance improvement.
But it also meant that 1 out of 3 didn't. Why? When the survey dug deeper, it found that 95% of employees who received direct support from their managers to better understand and use what they were taught reported significant performance improvement. In other words, the 1 out of 3 that didn't improve also didn't receive direct manager support.
Same ingredient, different results
Here is a simple example to consider. Imagine for a moment you're the judge of a cake-baking contest. You try one cake and it tastes sensational. The next tastes like chalk. Odds are the flour, sugar, and eggs were just fine. It's probably the fault of the baker. Some bakers are good and others aren't so good.
Similarly, some managers are good and others aren't so good. The best have techniques they've learned and perfected over time, and can repeat again and again. They take ordinary ingredients and incredible things happen. Strong managers continually strive to make the whole greater than the sum of its parts. They add value to the organization by consistently getting the most out of their people.
But it doesn't happen by coincidence or some stroke of luck. All managers require good consistent training to become strong managers. That's when the compounding really takes hold. When managers are trained, they remain in the role of leadership and they get better at it. In time, more and more employees gravitate toward these better managers — and the employees get better, too.
When managers are trained to be even better managers, they make more valuable contributions to the organization. They build up the people around them who, in turn, build up others. Everybody benefits. Everyone gets better. And everyone stays challenged to continue to improve.
That's where the real payoff comes in. Good manager training is like compounding interest — growing on top of an ever-growing principal — and driving up any organization's value.
SESCO Management Consultants is available to assist with your management training needs. You may contact us by phone at 423-764-4127 or by email at sesco@sescomgt.com.