Are You An Accidental Manager?
You wouldn’t expect someone with no training to carry out a lifesaving operation on a patient. The idea is unthinkable. But in the UK, there are thousands of people taking on managerial positions in organisations without any formal training or guidance.
In recent years, we have seen the rise of accident managers – individuals who may have the technical ability but lack the management skills needed to lead people effectively. This can have disastrous consequences for the accidental manager and the teams they lead.
What Is An Accidental Manager?
When there isn’t a clear route in an organisation for becoming a manager, high-performing individuals may find themselves promoted. These individuals may be brilliant at their jobs, but they lack management skills. The chances are they’ve never had any formal management training. They have become accidental managers.
This situation is more common than we think. In fact, a recent report from the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and YouGov found that over 80% of new managers in UK businesses find themselves in this position. The report also revealed that over half of managers (52%) don’t have any management and leadership qualifications.
The Dangers of Accidental Managers
You can’t put someone into a managerial role without management training and expect them to succeed. It seems glaringly obvious, but as we’ve seen, it’s a regular occurrence. The ramifications of accidental management reach beyond the managers themselves – it can have devastating effects on the people they manage.
For The Manager
Managing people is a skill, and for some, it doesn’t come naturally. An accidental manager may be technically excellent at their job, but managing a team is another matter. A lack of management training ultimately leads to a lack of confidence, where the manager feels out of their depth.
Accidental managers can find it difficult to effectively and sensitively deal with the issues their team members are facing, either in their working or personal lives. The CMI’s report highlighted that almost a fifth of managers felt they weren’t confident in their leadership abilities. When there’s a lack of skills, training and confidence, bad management is almost inevitable.
For Their Team
The effects of accidental management predictably filter down to the team. Improper management can cause havoc with employee engagement and productivity levels.
One report revealed that managers can have an equal (if not greater) impact on their employees’ mental health than their spouses, doctors or therapists. With that in mind, it’s no wonder that bad management can cause so much harm.
We’ve all heard the phrase, ‘people don’t leave bad jobs; they leave bad managers.’ This can be particularly true for employees who find themselves working under an accidental manager. Managers have a direct impact on staff retention, as employees are more likely to leave their job if they feel they have a bad manager. The reputational and financial implications of having a high staff turnover spells disaster for UK businesses.
How Do We Solve The Problem?
It’s essential that we tackle the phenomenon of accidental managers. Organisations must not only provide appropriate management training opportunities to those who want to progress but re-examine how they promote people to managerial positions.
Some of us are leaders, some of us aren’t, and some of us don’t want to be. Just because we’re good at our job, it doesn’t automatically mean we’d be good managers.
Businesses must stop assuming that a technically skilled person can easily step into the shoes of a manager, especially if they have no formal management training. Instead, businesses should look deeper to determine whether an individual also has the vital management skills needed to take the reins and lead a team.
When it comes to management training, it’s not just about completing one course, and that’s it. Scenario-based training reinforced with feedback can build a strong foundation, and micro-learning opportunities can help build management skills.
How We Can Help
Our flexible courses are designed to suit the unique needs of your organisation. We work with specialist learning and development consultants to ensure our courses provide maximum value and improved efficiency to help you and your business achieve success.
To discuss how we can help, contact us now.
