Unlocking the Potential: Enhancing First-Line Manager Training

First-line managers, sometimes known as supervisors, shift managers, or office managers, are the leaders who help frontline employees carry out organizational goals daily. They play an essential role in the overall success of your organization. Despite their significant impact, many frontline managers must receive adequate leadership training. This lack of training can negatively impact productivity, employee motivation, and turnover.

Lack of Time Management Skills

Large-scale surveys routinely list time management skills as the most desired workforce skill but also one of the hardest to master. First-line managers (also called supervisors, office managers, shift managers, or team leaders) must be able to manage their tasks while overseeing other employees’ work and creating deadlines for them. Training for new first-line managers should address how to balance best doing their job with being available to the rest of the company’s staff. They should also learn how to use their time efficiently by tracking deadlines and utilizing productivity-boosting strategies like taking breaks or categorizing work documents to make them easier to find. Poor time management skills result in missed goals, leading to low motivation. Internal barriers, such as procrastination, lack of motivation, distractions, or external factors, like a busy work environment, can cause them.

Newly appointed first-line managers often have superb technical skills, which is why they were promoted in the first place. However, they may need more experience in managing others, which requires a different set of skills. Developing a new first line manager helps them face their problems, inspire their employees, and achieve business outcomes. 

Lack of Self-Awareness

Typically, first-line managers are promoted from the frontline because they have demonstrated solid management skills. Still, they often need to be equipped to deal with the unique challenges of their new role. They are thrust into being the boss of frontline workers who have been with the organization for a more extended period than they have and must learn how to inspire, upskill, and motivate them to perform at a high level. They also have to learn to be more personable and understand how they come across to others. If a manager lacks self-awareness, it can be difficult for them to deliver effective coaching and feedback – or even understand why they are not getting the desired results from their team. A lack of self-awareness may also lead to a tendency to over-promise and under-deliver or to take credit for someone else’s work.

It is essential to ensure that a first-line management training program focuses on self-awareness and covers how a leader’s behavior impacts their team members. It is also a good idea to give first-line managers training on the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion, as this is often overlooked in line management training. It will enable them to create a positive, productive, and thriving workplace for all employees, regardless of their background or demographic characteristics.

Lack of Leadership Skills

There are many tiers of leadership within management structures. Still, first-line managers (supervisors, office managers, shift managers, or team leaders) are responsible for carrying out organizational objectives daily. They have direct contact with the people who perform the core work that makes organizations operate and are at the forefront of employee performance and development. To be successful, these entry-level managers must be expert communicators who can describe company goals in terms that their teams can easily understand, relate to, and envision. They must also be skilled at leveraging existing company incentives and communicating potential productivity gaps to management.

Additionally, these entry-level managers are often responsible for facilitating change initiatives that impact their teams. They are the people that most employees look to for direction and guidance during such periods, and implementing successful changes requires a high level of communication skills. Training for first-line managers can help hone these skills and prepare individuals for this vital role. A solid program will teach these managers how to develop and implement effective team leadership techniques that boost productivity and provide a clear understanding of the company’s ethics and values that should serve as guidelines for their work. In addition, such training can also cover methods for overcoming challenges that may arise in the workplace, including bullying, favoritism, and a lack of teamwork.

Lack of Communication Skills

As the name suggests, first-line managers (or frontline managers) manage the day-to-day operations of a department or team. Depending on their specific job titles, they may also be known as supervisors, office managers, or shift managers. Essentially, these managers oversee the frontline workers and play a critical role in meeting all business processes and goals. That’s why frontline managers need to have excellent communication skills. They need to be able to explain company goals in terms that their employees can understand, as well as provide feedback and motivate their teams. They must also communicate regularly with their supervisors or upper management about department performance and daily operations.

It requires active listening skills, including demonstrating empathy and validating others’ feelings. It also requires considering different viewpoints and making informed decisions based on the information gathered. It’s also necessary for these leaders to be able to resolve conflicts within their teams while motivating them to perform at their best.

Training programs that prepare promising candidates for management positions can help mitigate these challenges. By educating new managers about the realities of this role, they can enter their roles with their eyes wide open and set themselves up for success. Ultimately, this will benefit both them and their teams. As a bonus, training in these essential skills can also increase employee engagement, retention, and overall productivity.