The truth about your managers: the good, bad, and ugly

I want to share with you the truth about your managers. 

I’ll share the good, the bad, and the ugly truth. 

First, the good truth about your managers.

Great managers aren’t born. It’s not something they “get” by accident–the ability to understand people and how to lead them. It’s not luck. 

They’re not born with the ability, knowledge, or talent to be a great leader. 

Great managers aren’t born. They’re built.  

They are built with real-life examples of which behaviors to use and which ones to avoid.

They’re built with examples of what to say and what not to say. 

And they’re built with coaching and accountability. 

This is also good news for companies, Human Capital leaders, VPs, and any person who is new to leadership (or not). 

Now, for the bad truth about your managers. 

The vast majority of them will not figure out how to be great managers (or even average ones) on their own. 

Most of them don’t have someone to guide them through their challenges. To coach them. To hold them accountable. 

So, they get confused. They get frustrated. And they make costly mistakes in the ways they lead teams.

Even if the best leaders and leadership experts surround them, they won’t just “pick up” the knowledge and skills to be awesome leaders.

Managing people is hard. 

Managers often feel like they’re failing, but the fact is, it’s not their fault.

Most people are promoted because they were great in their last role. And without training or coaching, they’re lost in their new role.

Lastly, the ugly truth about your managers . . . 

Sending your managers to training doesn’t work.

Sadly, traditional management training is usually:⁠

❌ Inconvenient⁠
Lessons and sessions are too long. And schedules are always crazy, so you can never find a day that “works” for everyone.

❌ Boring & outdated⁠
How many photos of people in suits at the whiteboard can your team stand? And training over Zoom for hours on end is agony.

❌ Expensive⁠
Bringing people together in person isn’t easy these days. And often, you spend money on training you “hope” works. 

❌ A box to check⁠
There’s no accountability between participants and their own managers. You think if you “send” someone to training, they will “get it.” Think again!

⁠So whether your team has gone through some version of that or nothing at all . . . they’re likely feeling like they have no idea what they’re doing in this new leadership role they’ve landed.

Add to that the fact that we’re in the midst of the Great Resignation, and they may even feel like they’re driving your employees away.

Listen, turnover isn’t a new thing.

The reason your employees are reevaluating their careers and rushing for the exit has always remained the same: they want to grow.

They want bigger and brighter careers.

They want to learn from the best.

Most importantly, they want respect.

I’ve been coaching C-level leaders and teams around the world for over 25 years, resulting in over 20K awesome leaders trained. 

Not surprisingly, almost every single people leader I worked with entered the room agreeing that strong leadership is a good thing.  

Sure, maybe a portion of them thought they were already great managers and that they didn’t have much to learn. 

But the vast majority of those 20K+ managers came to live workshops, group coaching, or a webinar because they wanted to make their lives as a manager easier.  

Here’s the great thing: most leaders want to do a good job; they don’t want to be terrible managers. 

They don’t want people to dread working for them. And they certainly don’t want to be known as a micromanaging expert.

Of all of those people I’ve worked with, I can count on one hand the number of people who probably wake up each day with the goal of being a jerk. 

Most of them wake up every day wanting to be awesome managers who make the lives of their employees better.

Sadly, most managers aren’t equipped for this task . . . until they start the Awesome Manager Program.

I know it can be easier and more fun to be in charge.⁠

That’s why I created The Awesome Manager Program. In lessons that are 15-minutes or less, managers get actionable micro-learning that they can learn, implement and iterate on the same day.

They learn to set goals, give feedback, delegate, and manage sticky performance situations.

Additionally, weekly group coaching calls facilitated by an executive coach give your managers the opportunity to ask questions as part of a peer network. 

Awesome Manager is a high-impact, no-nonsense online learning platform for your company’s managers.

I’ve used my knowledge and experience to design Awesome Manager around the way people want to learn and how they retain information.

You won’t find any endless Zoom training sessions here!⁠

Cohorts of managers learn together with a coach at their sides.

This program sets the foundation for better communication, happier employees, higher employee engagement, and less turnover of top performers.

And here’s the best news of all. 

You save money by giving your managers the skills they want and need. 

Seriously, you save money because you  . . .

End frustration. Banish burnout. And kick turnover to the curb. 

Instead of losing your top performers because they’re frustrated in their roles as managers, you get these side effects:

Stronger communication, higher employee engagement, and higher profits. 

Aren’t these the side effects your company wants and needs? 

Awesome managers build happy teams who get the right work done in the right way. 

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Great leaders aren’t born. They’re built. 

Your job becomes easier when your team knows how to lead. 

Leadership isn’t a natural skill for everyone, but anyone can learn it. 

My online program teaches your team all the dos and don’ts of becoming a trusted leader. One your team loves.

And I am here to help them learn it.

Previously, the Awesome Manager Program was only available to companies interested in putting a large group of managers through the program together.

However, I saw a need for this program to be accessible to small businesses and individuals.

So, this fall, Awesome Manager will be available for open enrollment.

Check out what we’ll cover during the six-week program:

Why You Need to Be Awesome

  • The Science Behind Employee Engagement
  • Why Employees Leave & Looking in the Mirror
  • Identifying the Responsibilities of a Manager
  • Building a Relationship With Your Manager (It’s Not About Managing Up)

Goal Setting: The Nuts & Bolts You Need

  • Getting Rid of Goal Setting Myths
  • Why Goals Are Important
  • SMART Goals in 15 Minutes; What, Why, & How
  • Talking About Your Goals

Everyone is Hungry for Feedback

  • The Feedback Mindset
  • Defining Positive & Constructive Feedback
  • Top Feedback Mistakes
  • How to Write & Present Great Feedback
  • Keeping It Cool: A Feedback Model for Tough Conversations

Time to Delegate

  • Why Delegation is Your Best Friend
  • The Myths and the Excuses
  • The Top 10 Best Practices to Delegate Fast
  • The Delegation Model

Bringing It All Together: Case Studies

  • Intro to Case Studies: Different POVs
  • Inside A Case Study: Walk Through One Together

Action Planning

  • Need a Review? Here’s a 15-Minute Review of the Whole Course
  • Your Mindset: What to Do When You Hit an Obstacle
  • How to Create an Action Plan
  • Goodbye (for now), Awesome Manager

Whew! That’s a lot, and I know managers are busy. But being busy doesn’t mean there’s no time to develop yourself (or your people) into awesome leaders.

There you have it – the truth about your managers. They are all capable of developing the skills to be better leaders. However, they can’t do it on their own. While traditional management training is ineffective at getting them there, there is another option.

Awesome Manager is the resource they (and you) need.

Again, open enrollment is coming this fall, so contact me today to get on the waiting list.