Middle Level managers are one of the most crucial elements to any organization, but unfortunately more times than not organizations do not dedicate the appropriate type of training & development for them.

1. Erika Ofodirinwa
www.wrksolutionsonline.com
Developing Mid-Level Management:
Workforce Problems vs. Workforce Solutions

2. Meet Evelyn
Evelyn has been working as a
Customer Service Representative at a
call center for 5 years. She enjoys her
work and loves the company she
works for.
Management has always been
impressed with Evelyn’s performance
and attitude, which has resulted in
her recent promotion as a manager
for her department.
After meeting with her previous
manager for an hour to discuss the
new role, Evelyn is shown her new
office and briefed on what will need
to be tackled immediately.

3. Meet Darren
Darren has also been working for a call center for 5 years, he also loves his job and the
company he works for.
Senior management believes Darren is an excellent performer and has recently
promoted him to manage the sales department.
After meeting with the management team. Darren is provided a training schedule
and informed that he will be shadowing his supervisor.

5. Evelyn and Darren have both
been in there management
position for 6 months now.
Evelyn is feeling overwhelmed,
dreads coming to work
everyday, and has started
contemplating leaving the
organization she once loved.
Darren loves going to work
everyday, he feels energized by
his new position and his overall
commitment to his company
continues to strengthen.

7. Middle Level managers are one of
the most crucial elements to any
organization, but unfortunately more
times than not organizations do not
dedicate the appropriate type of
training & development for them.
We tend run on the assumption “Well
they were excellent at their previous
position… so they will be perfect as a
manager.”
Although this assumption is not
completely wrong there is an
important component we tend to
forget…DEVELOPMENT

8. Managers are typically placed in their position because of how well
they have performed for the organization, not necessarily because
they are accomplished managers.
Think about it…Does your organization or other organizations you
know have a formal training and development program for newly
promoted managers?
We spend a lot of time and $$$ training new employees. For the sole
purpose of ensuring that they will be able to perform their job.
So why don’t we apply the same concept across the board? or in this
case organizational chart.

9. Where to go from here

10. • It’s time to start shifting our energy towards more management
training and development.
• Luckily, there are an infinite amount of options for any organization
to select from in order to reach these goals.
• You can develop a program in house, hire a specialized consulting
agency, or utilize a number of seminars available on this topic
throughout the nation.

11. If you are considering in-house
here are a couple tips…

12. Begin with conducting a skills analysis on your newly promoted
manager or manager to be.
• This is done by coming up with what your organization considers
to be essential competencies/ skills necessary to perform the
managerial duties.
• Doing this will allow you to determine possible skills gap in your
new manager and develop a more customized training program.
Don’t just throw them into “it.” Make sure they are comfortable
before taking off the training wheels.
• Yes, I recognize that with how fast pace the business world is, it
may be difficult to avoid dropping your new manager right into the
mist of things. So if you must, at least provide some type of
shadowing or coaching opportunity. Have another manager act as
a mentor or coach for a reasonable length of time.
Check with your local Workforce Solutions to see if they are
conducting any seminars or training related to some of the skills you
believe your manager needs to be successful in their new role.

14. Mid level managers are the bridge
between discussing organizational goals
and executing organizational goals. It
can be expensive to lose one or even
worse, have an incompetent one.
If you want to avoid turning an ideal
employee like Evelyn into a new job
seeker, It is time to start investing in her
development as a manager. She needs
the confidence that she once had to
continue shining in your organization.

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