‘Stress by Sector’ data released by e-days in February 2021 found that stress-related appointments are up generally in business by 64% over 2019.
Covid can be attributed as the leading factor but managers and poor management style are undoubtedly in part to blame for the increase.
In advance of Stress awareness month in April and World Health day on April 7th (with a campaign focus on healthcare professionals), this blog post dives into how management styles can impact on your team’s stress levels.
The ‘Accidental Manager’
I have often seen great technicians being promoted to management roles, resulting in the ‘accidental manager.’ We’ve all seen them, the managers who don’t know how to delegate or motivate others, the managers who don’t know how to start a tricky conversation so they shy away from it, the managers who believe that ‘my way or the highway’ is how to get people to change.
At Your People Potential we constantly meet these managers in our training sessions, we have met some brilliant people managers, they just didn’t know it yet, and the reason they didn’t know it? They had been promoted from highly technical roles that they excelled at, into people management roles and just expected to get on with it.
The accidental manager needs understanding and support. We have worked with people whose first statement to us has been, “I don’t want to be a manager.” And when we have questioned them to find out why, it is because they don’t feel skilled, they don’t know how to address conflict, they have been working as colleagues with people and suddenly the transition to management feels awkward.
Luckily, we have been able to provide the support and guidance so that these managers have not only learned about the skills required to be a good manager, they have had a chance to practice them, in a safe environment with their peers. This has helped them to identify what they currently do well, what they need to work on and to plan their approach to apply their skills.
During our training courses, we take managers from a position of being ‘accidental’ to ensure they excel in the role. They turn from great technicians trying to hold onto the parts of the job they are comfortable with (technical), to great delegators and coaches who develop their people and themselves in the process. They become comfortable and they forget what it felt like to not want to be a manager, as they prepare themselves for the next step up, while identifying high potential employees to learn and grow in their wake.
This year I have adapted to the current working environment and taken my management training online, and I am excited to share details of the 2021 open training programme.
From 2021 programme started online in March, and new intake are welcomed throughout the year. To find out when we are running the next foundation modules contact us today.
