CMI research shows half of workers quit because of their manager

As an Ambassador for the CMI, and a passionate believer in the importance of the manager’s role in an organisation, I am saddened, but not surprised, by the recent survey by the CMI which revealed that47 per cent of workers have left a position as a direct result of bad management. A survey of over 3000 adults also showed that a staggering 49% said they would be prepared to take a pay cut in order to work with a better manager.

These figures are not new – they have been replicated in previous studies and surveys too. My own experiences back this up too. I have now gathered data from surveys I send out to managers who come along to my Business Link workshops which deal with the issue of how to motivate and engage  staff – even in the midst of a recession.

One of the  questions I ask them before they arrive  is what training they have already received to support their management development, particularly their people skills, and far too many are telling me they get little other than token support. Business Links can provide some useful training – and it is free – which is great – but it is far too little for a role which is so important. Not only that, these managers want to learn. They want to do a good job. They were often promoted because they were good at what they used to do, and because they are keen and ambitious,  but they are struggling to find a way through what can sometimes seem a truly daunting task of inspiring, motivating and engaging their staff.

Whilst there is no doubt there are some managers in post who really should not be there, and who continue, day in, day out to have a negative effect on the atmosphere and performance of their team, many more managers that I meet  are crying out for some  simple, practical tools and techniques to help them become better inspirations to others, better people developers, better performance managers  and better leaders.

The CMI, as the champion of management and leadership excellence in the UK, will meet with representatives from the three main political parties at the launch of its Manifesto for a Better Managed Britain to demand that urgent action is taken to transform management and leadership performance.

Whilst organisations cut back on spending, people management skills (often called “soft work skills” – a misnomer in my view) are often pushed to the background – with little or no budget to support management development. Whilst it’s easy to blame the companies for being short-sighted – sometimes simple economics takes over – and in order to survive at all, such training has to go.

I understand that. As a business myself I know it is sometimes necessary to make tough decisions.

But I’m also a coach – and coaching is about looking for creative options – for other ways to skin the cat.

We can all play our part.

Government can reassess the money they plough into supporting businesses and see how they can support management skills more than they do currently.

Organisations can make the most of what funding is available, and consider how they could optimise any internal skills or resources they have to support mentoring or coaching for managers.

And trainers and coaches such as myself, who are passionate about the importance of management can try to develop resources and training which is more flexible, less time-consuming and more cost-effective.

We all have our part to play.

What we can’t afford to do, is sit back and allow managers to struggle on the job; to “muddle through”, hoping they can somehow “get it right”.

If you are as passionate about supporting management skills as I am, then join CMI by visiting: http://www.managers.org.uk/

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For more information to help you with the people side of management,
including how to improve employee motivation and get the best out of your team, take a look at these great resources:

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EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND LEADERSHIP – PART TWO

Important Management Skills – The Skill of Self-Control

Emotional Intelligence skill number 2: Self control.

There is a well-known proverb: act in haste, repent at leisure.

We all do it sometimes: when we are under pressure we can often feel frustrated, upset, annoyed or some other such negative emotion.  As a result, we may say or do things in a way which have a negative impact on others. The problem with this of course, is it can begin a chain reaction of negativity which is more than likely going to take time and effort to put right, and which may damage style workplace motivation and performance.

Have you ever experienced this with someone at work? Here’s an example.

Scenario 1: The Knee-jerk reaction

One of your staff, whom you do find difficult to get on with at the best of times, has been late for work four times already this month – and you’ve already spoken to them once about it, (quite reasonably in your opinion). They arrive late again today – and you make some abrupt, rather sarcastic comment in front of three other staff.

You’re feeling?  Frustration.

Your response? Sarcasm.

Their response?  Defensive – maybe anger. (Even if they’re in the wrong – they’re feeling stung you’re criticising them in front of others)

Does your reaction solve anything? Doubtful.

Scenario 2: Over-controlling your feelings

Imagine this time, in this same scenario, rather than vent your frustration at the repeated poor timing, you don’t say anything at all because you feel uncomfortable about tackling this. You might make a mental note you’ll tackle it later, but often “later” never comes because there never seems to be an appropriate moment, because it’s “hassle” or because you are worried it might make matters worse. Instead, you might raise it 3 months later in a formal appraisal review. This is probably the most unhelpful response you could have chosen!

The problem is, if you don’t actually communicate your feelings in a constructive way to others,

1. The unwanted behaviour is unlikely to change
2. Others in the team perceive it is “OK” to behave in that way.
3. Others perceive you as “weak” and unfair: they see someone flouting “the rules” and you doing nothing about it.
4. Your confidence is weakened to tackle other “uncomfortable” issues.

The skill is to recognise your emotions, and find a way of communicating with the other person, in a way which retains respect and good will, yet makes your feelings and your expectations crystal clear.

Emotional intelligence requires you do not lose sight of your goal, at the expense of emotions.

In the scenario outlined above, your goal is to restore good time-keeping and maintain motivation in employees.

Five tips to help you develop your emotional intelligence muscle:

1. If you’re about to turn into an exocet missile – keep off the trigger! Put some time between you and the incident.(It’s no coincidence you read articles about counting to ten to calm yourself down. This is based in sound human physiology – our brain processes emotional responses first, and rational thinking second. Giving yourself a little space between your knee-jerk reaction and your final action, allows you to choose your response a little more wisely.)
2. How do you feel about dealing with tricky situations? Does it make you feel uncomfortable? Do you fear being firm or disagreeing with someone might result in people not liking you? Do you back off to avoid hassle?Using emotional intelligence skill number one, that of self-awareness, begin to examinehow your own feelings of worry and discomfort interfere with achieving your goals, and ask yourself if these emotions are serving you or hindering you from achieving your aim.
3. Focus on the outcome you want. Get as clear as you can about the ideal resolution. If you are clear what you want, you’ll feel more confident and it helps you decide how to express it.One key tip here. Don’t just decide what you want, but decide how you want the other person to feel at the end of the discussion too. So, with the “late” scenario – yes, you want the individual to improve their time-keeping, but you also want to keep them on-side and motivated. Whatever tactics you choose, think about how you can achieve both.
4. Try the “fake it till you make it” method! Presumably, you want to appear calm, unruffled and supportive?Think of a time when you do feel these things. What does that look like? How do you talk? Hold yourself? Breathe?Think of the non-verbal cues you give out when you are calm. Practise adopting these behaviours the next time you feel mildly irritated.
5. Keep practising the skill of self control. Emotional intelligence can be learned, but as with any other skill, it requires practice and consistency.Think of it as a muscle: in the same way you build muscle through repetition, you can build emotional muscle and resilience through controlling your emotions. If you’ve had a tendency to “fly off the handle”, or to avoid what you see as “confrontation” for the last 20 years, don’t expect that habit to change overnight.However, practising flexing this “emotional muscle” will not only pay dividends in terms of improving working relationships with your staff and colleagues, studies are now showing that if we build discipline in one area of our lives, it spills out into other areas too.So, not only will your team performance improve, you could find yourself losing weight, or stopping smoking or handling your awkward teenager more effectively as an added bonus! Your confidence will also soar.

Remember, your worst enemy in frustrating situations is your own quick reaction.

The first thing you need to do when dealing with a difficult person or situation is not to control the behaviour of the other person(s), but to control your own!

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For more information to help you with the people side of management,
including how to improve employee motivation and get the best out of your team, take a look at these great resources:

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Delegation – A Critical Management Skill

My personal world works in parallels, Whilst I spend my time coaching, training and writing about my passion - getting the best out of people - like most of us, I have to walk the talk every day!

I have used virtual help for some time now - and for any manager who finds it hard to "let go" - who feels the need to "micro-manage" or try to be too prescriptive, it's a great opportunity to test out just how well you delegate, how much you are willing to trust the people you hire, and how willing you are to admit you don't know it all, and can't do it all! If you can successfully manage and motivate a virtual team, I think you can motivate anyone!

I believe we all become our own bottleneck very quickly. We all should play, I believe, to our own talents and strengths, because it is then that  our life becomes interesting; that we have more enthusiasm, that we work harder, and that we achieve more. Read more