Where managers fail

I’m just a woman standing in front of corporate America begging, NO DEMANDING, we do more for managers!!!!!

So, in honor of our managers – this send is dedicated to that group. 

The tired, the weary, those with an endless task list and not enough time. (Also sounds like HR??) 

I’m going to break down common areas where managers struggle and what HR can do to help them! 

#1: Providing feedback

Providing feedback for managers can feel like a challenge because they:

• Aren’t used to giving feedback 
• May not like confrontation 
• Don’t know what to say 
• Don’t want to hurt their direct report’s feelings 

But it doesn’t have to be a challenge…

TBH: I think everyone at every company NEEDS training on giving feedback multiple times a year. 

Why?

Because no one is born inherently good at giving and receiving feedback. It’s a skill that needs to be taught AND practiced. 

So here’s what you’re going to do: 

1. Select your feedback framework to use like:

• SBI 
• Start, Stop, Continue 
• BOOST
• Radical Candor 

2. Train your  managers on the model. This training must include role playing exercises for them to build the skill of giving feedback. I would break out the training over 3-4 sessions and cover things such as:

• The role of feedback in your organization 
• How to deliver feedback 
• How to receive feedback – teaching self awareness here!
• What to do when it goes poorly (it often does) 

✅Pro-tip: write feedback exercises that pull from real events you’ve witnessed in your current org or others. The more realistic the better! 

3. Check in and iterate. Training shouldn’t just happen once and there may be folks that need attention when it comes to this topic! 

✍️You should also collect feedback from employees via pulse surveys, annual surveys even informal check-ins on how the managers are doing at giving feedback. This can help you decide who needs more attention and training. 

Boom manager struggle #1 solved. 

#2: Delegating 

 

Ahhh delegating. Delegating is kind of like Goldilocks and her porridge. 

Managers should always be searching for the right balance. 

But some managers struggle to delegate because they:

• Fear losing control 
• Don’t trust their team 
• Don’t feel like they have the time 
• Fear being replaced 
• Struggling with perfectionism 

If you’ve ever heard a manager say – “but I can just do it better myself” they need to go to the Hebba Youssef School of Delegation aka read this newsletter. 

2 things everyone should consider when delegating a task:

✅ 1. Importance/Urgency: if something is very important or very urgent then delegating the task away might not be the best path forward. A manager should delegate tasks that they will have time to also provide feedback and coaching to the person doing the task. Otherwise, how will someone learn! If something is critical then that opportunity for coaching isn’t really there. 

The caveat is that some people like to think EVERYTHING is urgent. IT’S NOT. So getting to the bottom of what’s truly important here will be key for everyone involved. More on that later… 

✅ 2. Skill/Will: Does the employee actually have the skills or the ability to develop the skills required to complete the task? Considering this will be crucial when it comes to delegating. 

Put it all together and what do you get? 

These examples: 

You have a task that is high importance but low skill/will on your team. That task should not be delegated.  

You have a task that is high importance and high skill/will. This task can be delegated but still monitored to ensure that it is done properly. 

Having your managers constantly assess delegating through this lens can be incredibly helpful and potentially solve some of their challenges! 

#3: Prioritizing 

There is possibly no other group that understands time management better than managers.

When you’re asked to do A LOT you have to figure out how to effectively get things done…

I couldn’t help but wonder are we giving managers the tools to succeed, or just the responsibilities to fail? – Carrie Bradshaw (JK JK) 

Possibly Carrie, Possibly! But here’s where we step in to save the day.

If your managers are struggling to understand importance/urgency maybe you just need a really good framework? 

📖My fave framework: The Eisenhower Matrix 

This even helps with delegation! 

Another way to solve this problem: have a company wide standard for prioritizing things! 

When everyone speaks the same “language” it solves a lot of problems around alignment and priorities. 

😍You’ll never have to wonder: why is someone working on that?? 

Relationships solved?

This quarter has been a fun one if I do say so myself!

I went hard on relationships at work and hopefully you walked away with some juicy tips. 

Next week, we tackle a new quarter. 

Can’t wait to tell you what’s coming…