Vital Insight Into Management Training Success

Where people exist, conflict exists. When you hear the phrase “workplace conflict” you might imagine the most passive-aggressive, or even just … aggressive situations that can arise between team members. Images of disgruntled employees gossiping with one another about a particular employee, or even a yelling match may come to mind.

Although situations like that aren’t uncommon, it’s important to remember that “conflict” can float under the radar, and fester in places that you may not even notice as a leader. Individual conflicts can come and go, negatively affecting your workplace culture without you ever seeing it happen.

Some of your employees may have already been working from home before COVID-19, and feel like not a lot has changed in their day-to-day now that your company has shifted to remote work.

At the same time there are probably others who are experiencing a remote workplace for the first time, and are still adjusting to this "new normal" (I wanted to get that over-used term out-of-the way, I promise not to use it again.)

According to a study performed by Watson Wyatt, businesses with effective communication practices are over 50 percent more likely to report that their employee turnover levels were below the industry average.

It’s not a secret that effective communication training increases productivity and employee morale. And yet, doesn’t it seem like communication skills are often taken for granted or overlooked?

These communication skills are even more important in managers. 

Don’t expect your employees to come with perfect communication skills “built-in”. Instead, train them to become great communicators.

Peter Drucker says, “The productivity of work is not the responsibility of the worker but of the manager.” This isn’t to say that no responsibility lies on employees, but that performance and productivity gaps can often be remedied by improving managers.

Conflicts happen in every workplace. They can start with a simple disagreement and often escalate into an argument that impedes the productivity of a team.

Although conflicts themselves are common – effective resolution of those conflicts tends not to be. Even though it may not always be possible to avoid conflict completely, It’s important to be able to recognize common causes of workplace conflict to help stifle them early on.

High-performers who are ambitious and want to grow tend to be top-picks when it comes time to promote someone to manager.

If one of your top leaders left your organization tomorrow, what would happen?

Would you start looking for an outside replacement ­­– even though the process is tedious, and you’re never absolutely sure that a candidate will be the right fit?

Often, the better alternative is to promote your next leader from within your company.

When it comes to communication between a manager and their team, there is always room for improvement. Improving workplace communication across your organization should be a goal for every business leader, and one that brings increased productivity to your team. When it comes to being a manager, having the ability to communicate effectively is one of the most important skills to have. 

Billionaire businessman Warren Buffet told a classroom of business students that being an effective communicator doubles your value in the workplace. Buffet said that he would give $100,000 to any student in the room in exchange for 10 percent of their future earnings. And if the student was an effective communicator, he would increase the bid by 50 percent because the investment had more value.

As you know, there is a huge difference between telling someone what to do and actually empowering them with the skills and tools needed to do it. Would you expect someone would be able to bowl without a ball or being shown how to do it?

It’s obvious that coaching is important. But how are you supposed to fit coaching into your busy schedule as a manager? How do you make sure that your team members receive a level of coaching that is both personal and drives results?

Managers with well-developed coaching skills are able to ask the right questions, steer people in the right direction, and keep their team encouraged and driven to achieve a specific goal.

Have you ever promoted someone to be a manager, only to find out that they can hardly even manage themselves?

This is a common problem across industries, and leads to issues such as disorganization, unmotivated team members, poor workplace communication, and lack of dedication to a common goal. Succession planning is crucial in achieving growth, and ensuring that your management team is the best it can be. Follow along with this guide, to re-vamp the way you promote your high performers.