It’s time for CHRO hot topic #3 (In case you missed #1 and #2, here they are again Business focused analytics and Engagement 2.0. This third hot topic deals with the need to get a better understanding of manager impact.
When I first got a “proper job”, I had an amazing mentor who taught me about the concept of “leverage”. That learning, in a fairly glum office in one of my first consulting gigs, has become one which has shaped many aspects of my career – with arguably the most important application of leverage arising from my time as a people manager.
You see, as a people manager, your job is to do your job, and help others do theirs so you can collectively get lots of stuff done. The very essence of leverage.
And once we start to see the multiplying impact of great, good, mediocre and down-right poor leadership, it’s obvious how important it is to get the right talent into those roles.
Think about this, a great manager is replicating great working practices across many other team members for increased productivity. A poor manager is sub-optimizing, drumming out those who should be staying, and if they’ve figured out how to manage up, they might be being rewarded and recognized for doing a great job.
The adage of people leaving managers, not companies does have some validity. And understanding the impact, both positive and negative, that is being created by a manager is very insightful, and perhaps even shocking to some organizations.
Think about Turnover by manager. Turnover of those in their first year by supervisor. Overtime or grievances by team lead. Productivity or sales success by organizational sub-unit.
Here’s a visual of Turnover by Manager. Imagine having click-of-a-button access to data and analytics related to manager outcomes, and the conversations and decisions this could enable.
Can your leaders leverage? Can they optimize? Does your top talent create the best individual outcomes or the best team outcomes?
It’s a great area to delve into with fact, opinion and contextual understanding.
Go on. Unlock the potential.
P.S. See how the Head of HR at MLSE helped deliver an amazing NBA All Star Weekend in Toronto, check out their story. The success is all about hiring, developing and deploying talent who can deliver an All Star Performance.
- Best practices for quarterly reporting - November 21, 2017
- 5 do’s and don’ts for effective HR reporting - October 23, 2017
- Is your HR reporting effective? Maybe it’s time to re-think your approach - September 25, 2017
What I would like to know is what options we have in dealing with a bad manager/supervisor. My understanding is that there are a lot of bad ramifications from demoting them back to a worker.