What to do with someone who shouldn't be a people leader
(This came to me from an Ops Executive who is also responsible for HR - Steve)
We have a few leaders in our company who have staff reporting to them because of the scale, scope, and reach of their role. They have been strong performers for us and moved up internally into these roles. They hadn't been responsible for others until recently.
Now that they're in people leader roles, they're not good with those who report to them. It comes across in their tone, attitude, and approach. They tend to bark because it's how leaders treated them.
I've had one-on-one meetings with each of them. I've met with their teams. The company has provided coaching for them. And still little to no change.
I know that I can document what's happening (which I'm doing), and we could go down the road of discipline, even to the point of termination. I'm hoping we don't have to do that.
What have others done when they've experienced this? Would love to hear what has/hasn't worked.
Thanks in advance.
4 replies
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Hello! This is one of my favorite topics in all of HR to address - the evolution of people leaders. I work with companies to create and execute manager training programs across all industries.
A few notes for you to consider:
1. Do the people in question even want to be managing others? Have you ever asked them that question? Unfortunately, in our current world of work, one almost has to accept managing people in order to progress in their career. But not everyone is built for it. They may not feel they can say no. Does the company have room to accommodate great performers who don't want to manage?
2. Have the managers been given a variety of tools and resources across mediums? Not everyone learns the same. Some are readers, podcast listeners, YouTube video viewers. Others learn best from conversations and role-play. It is best to meet people where they are.
3. Have you considered partnering with an outside party for on-going training and support? Many managers tend to listen and respond more when they are working with someone who is not an employee. If you are interested, let's schedule time to discuss in detail.
Christie EnglerNew Day HR LLC
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Hello. At Ivy Tech Schools, there is a program for supervisors or leaders. The program is called Supervision and Leadership Training. The focus areas are leadership development, conflict resolution, emotional intelligence, time management, and HR fundamentals.
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Christie makes some good points.
Additionally, what are your company's values and what are the expectations of leaders to support those values? You should be able to point expected leader behavior back to your values. One of my company's values is "Caring" (Compliance, Communication and Community are the others). I am constantly looking at how my team's behavior lines up with our value of caring for our team members. If we've communicated our values and expectations to team members, we have to hold them accountable. If we give them the opportunity to change and they refuse to step up, then we'll step them out.
Stephen
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Over the past MANY years I've been practicing HR 😉, there have been many developments in organization structure - one that reflects your current need is the distinction between Manager of People and Subject Matter Expert (SME). Similar levels in the corporate hierarchy / org chart, and similar salary/benefits - but one leads people and the other does not and has more technical focus and responsibilities. That way, you are not setting people up to fail. Outside coaching may help more than internal, but if that is not the natural predisposition of the manager, it will always feel like asking someone to write with their non-dominant hand - lot more effort for a result never as good. Better to play to their strengths. I highly recommend Personnel Profiles Achiever assessment. It measures 16 traits on a continuum. The report is very detailed and gives a full report on coaching strategies and steps. I would suggest giving it to all management so as to not spotlight any one particular person, then based on the results, you may wish to roll out a new org chart and communication showcasing the new Manager/SME relationships. Everybody wins and nobody feels demoted - just capitalizing on everyone's strengths. For more info, you can reach out to me or directly to Melissa Hendricks at Personnel Profiles. They've been around forever and their assessments are incredibly well normed. melissah@persprofiles.com