You’ve recruited a strong candidate, they’ve accepted the role and your new manager will soon be in post. Job done! Well, not quite. If you want new managers to hit the ground running, it’s time to plan their induction.
Prioritising Recruitment & Retention
According to the Ambition Index*, a survey of UK SMEs, there’s a feeling of optimism in the air. The majority of SMEs feel resilient and are exploring opportunities to unlock growth. The survey revealed that 22% plan to invest in talent recruitment and retention to achieve it. As such, upskilling current employees through training and attracting new talent are top priorities for 2024.
Is your company investing in internal promotions or recruitment?
If so, you want those new managers to be up and running from the offset. You need them to step up, take on responsibilities, drive productivity, generate sales and lead the team. However, they are going to need some input from you and the team to be able to do that.
Even the most experienced and competent new manager will arrive with limited knowledge of how your company operates. As for internally promoted managers, they have to quickly shift their approach to fulfil a leadership role.
Onboarding New Managers
When onboarding new managers, consider the tools, methodologies and information that will equip them to meet your expectations.
All new starters benefit from an informative induction to the company. The best way to ensure a consistent message is to produce an induction training programme. Use this to share the company values, key achievements and future goals. The programme can include links to interactive training modules, important documents and the websites of key clients.
The next step is to plan a schedule for the first week or two in post. Who does the new manager need to meet? Prearrange meetings with members of the team to discuss their roles and the current projects they are working on. In addition, book meetings with clients, partners, suppliers and other priority contacts. These can be virtual, although it is often beneficial to meet in person.
Buddies and Mentors
Assign an experienced and positive member of the team as a buddy. They are the first point of contact for any questions in the first week. A buddy helps the new manager negotiate the working environment, bringing them quickly up to pace with business protocol.
If you want to get the most from your new manager, mentoring is the next step. A mentor works with the individual’s skills to address challenges, unlock capabilities and optimise potential. This is especially valuable when the recruit has limited experience in a leadership role.
Leadership Training for New Managers
Continuous development is essential for any strong leader. After your new manager has been in post for a few months, discuss training needs. Is the individual proactive and how do they perform in reactive situations? Can they spot opportunities in the pipeline, as well as ensuring the team meets a deadline?
Workplace training often focuses on building technical capabilities. However, for new managers, leadership training is valuable. What issues are they finding difficult to address? My online training short courses include common requirements including Employee Engagement, Effective Delegation and Team Motivation. These can be a good starting point.
Building on this, advanced leadership training supports professional growth. Covering the essentials of communication, presentation and influencing skills, it supports the achievement of personal and business ambitions.
Gather Feedback from New Managers
Although recruits are finding their feet in your organisation, they bring expertise and experience to the table. What’s more, they see your business from a fresh perspective. For this reason, ask them for feedback on how the company might achieve its goals.
What do they see as the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats? Can they spot issues that could be resolved to streamline processes or better communicate the company values? Be open to feedback and benefit from valuable insight.
Leave Them to It or Leverage Success
So, when you recruit a new manager, you can just leave them to it. Their skills and strengths got them the job, so now it is over to them to deliver. You’ve spent enough time on the recruitment process and you need to crack on with other tasks.
Alternatively, you can put measures in place to help leverage success. Prepare the necessary induction and you will benefit from managers who are equipped to hit the ground running.
Contact Sue Garner for information on leadership training, mentoring or preparing interactive induction programmes.