Put yourself in your employees' shoes.
Don't answer these questions based on what your policies say should happen. Answer them based on what you believe actually happens.
Answer as an employee — not as the boss defending the business.
If your managers wouldn't be your first choice of manager, why should they automatically be your employees' first choice?
What would stronger management look like in your business?
If this assessment has made you think about the capability, consistency or confidence of your managers, there are two sensible next steps.
Most managers don't set out to be difficult managers.
Many were promoted because they were good at their previous job.
They knew the product. They understood the customer. They could solve problems. They were dependable.
And then one day they became responsible for people.
Often with surprisingly little preparation for what that actually involves.
Suddenly they're expected to:
✓ Delegate effectively
✓ Give feedback
✓ Motivate different personalities
✓ Manage poor performance
✓ Handle conflict
✓ Coach people
✓ Communicate change
✓ Make difficult decisions
✓ Lead former colleagues
Experience helps. But experience without development can also reinforce poor habits.
Your employees experience your managers far more often than they experience your leadership strategy.
They experience leadership when they ask a question. When they make a mistake. When they're under pressure. When they need help. When they disagree. When their performance drops. And when they've done something really well.
Leadership isn't what the organisation says it values. It's what employees experience on an ordinary Tuesday morning.
So... would you work for your managers?
If your answer is a confident yes, protect and develop what you've built.
If the answer is “mostly”, “it depends” or “I'm not sure”, that uncertainty is worth exploring.
Leadership development isn't about turning managers into somebody they're not. It's about giving capable people the skills, confidence and tools to become managers that other people actually want to work for.
