51³Ô¹Ïapp

By Percy Emmett, Apprenticeships and Executive Education at De 51³Ô¹Ïapp University Business School

Ever had a bad boss? The good news is, you’re not alone. The Chartered Management Institute (CMI) have recently published the findings of its national poll which found almost one in three UK workers had quit because of poor managers.

On top of that, as many as 82% of new managers in the UK are what it refers to as “accidental managers” – being given line management responsibility with no formal training in management or leadership.

As a management and leadership educator, I’m not surprised at the results. Talk to anyone about their career journey and chances are, people were promoted because they were good at their current role – not because they would be a good manager.

The result? People struggle along, doing their best – or in the worst cases, avoiding tough conversations or failing to confront poor behaviours which can be damaging for the business and for the employees.

Inexperienced managers may copy what they have seen previous managers do, good and bad. After all, you only know what you know, and if you have never had any training or support, how are you supposed to understand the different management styles and approaches that can be used effectively in different situations?

Not enough value is placed on helping managers to learn the skills needed to be effective at work. Investment in developing your managers or your own personal management skills can be the difference between poor morale and a high-performing, enthusiastic team leader.

You may expect me to say that – I’m a senior lecturer within a business school, after all, and my job is teaching professionals how to be better managers and leaders.

But there’s significant evidence to back this up.

The Bank of England cited a lack of quality managers as an explanation for the UK’s poor productivity and the Office for National Statistics, which scores companies on managerial effectiveness, found the UK lags well behind other countries like the US, Japan and Germany.

SMEs, in particular, compare unfavourably on people management – which is the key factor when it comes to how productive your business is.

As Anthony Painter, the CMI’s director of policy, points out: “Economists have looked at this and they think that something in the order of a third of the difference between us and the most productive countries is down to the quality of management and leadership – right there is the reality.”

Whatever the reason for not prioritising investment in management training, it is likely to cost you more in the long run. Without it, you risk setting your new managers up to fail, job satisfaction plummets and staff turnover is high.

Having someone who is a confident boss, and an effective team leader creates a positive work culture. Management training helps deliver good managers – we teach the theory as well as the practical application of key skills, such as reflection, managing change, giving feedback, problem solving, project management and other highly important interpersonal skills that businesses need.

We all say it, but your people are the most important asset that you have. Effective management training is a strategic investment that not only helps businesses retain their employees but also empowers them to thrive, ultimately contributing to a better workplace.

Why wouldn’t you want your people to feel valued and supported in their careers, and avoid the ‘bad boss’ experience?

If you'd like to chat to us about management training, what it involves and how you can best support your workforce, please do get in touch - we would love to hear from you.