WORKWEEK

What do managers need?

Simply put, being a manager on the front lines means:

• Doing a critical but oftentimes thankless job
• Trying to do one’s best while being severely under-supported (*cough* the average manager doesn’t get management training until 10 years in *cough*)
• Being caught in the messy middle where employee needs may not gel with leadership’s priorities

Maybe that’s the reason why more managers say they feel less engaged, uncared for at work and are looking to leave their jobs. In fact, between 2019 and 2022, “the ADP Research Institute found that 29% of people quit their jobs within a month after their first promotion”. For context, the departure rate for similar workers who didn’t get promoted was 18%. 🤯

Here’s my take…

IMO, what managers need MOST is support and validation. 

If managers aren’t getting the direction, feedback, coaching, enablement, encouragement or recognition they need at work, it makes a lot of sense why more and more managers are looking to leave their employers.

But…there are alternative solutions to having managerial needs met that don’t require jumping ship.

We just need to know where to look…

Get a coach

Betterup has been my go-to marketplace for finding a professional and management coach! It’s a monthly, subscription based offering which includes one-on-one coaching, an on-demand content library, goal-setting features and more.

Find a mentor

I could write an entire newsletter on finding a great mentor…but only if you’d like me to. 

🏀 Shoot me a note letting me know if you’d be interested in a newsletter dedicated to finding a great mentor.

Learn from peers

More often than not, my peers know more about how to do our job than my bosses ever have. This is why it’s so important to meet with your potential peers when going through any interview process…but that’s for another conversation. 

On-demand leadership content

Korn Ferry Advance is THE TRUTH! I’ve learned so much from their content library. And, their pricing model is much more affordable than other options I’ve explored. You can earn badges, complete courses, and get cliffnotes for pretty much any management book out there.

Work with a therapist

If you’re interested or invested in becoming a more inclusive and compassionate leader and you’re not working with a therapist, you might be missing out. 

Any therapist that’s worth their salt can be pivotal in improving relational skills (you need those big time). AND, a good therapist can help you overcome limiting beliefs and thoughts more so than working with a coach alone, especially if you’re a manager who has a history of complex trauma.

Books

I’ll keep it short and sweet. The books I’d 1000% recommend to every manager, if they haven’t read them already, are:

• Radical Candor by Kim Scott
• The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
• Nonviolent Communication by Marshall B. Rosenberg 

Trust me, these are gamechangers!

More newsletters

There are the typical leadership and management ones like Harvard Business Review and MIT Sloan Management Review. And, there’s a lot managers can learn from resources that aren’t just for managers. Take Prequel for example. They create content for parents who want their children to succeed and offer up advice and exercises to support their children with this – think: problem solving, creative thinking, etc. I’ve picked up some handy tricks and tips that have helped me with my reps a lot. 

Podcasts

Here are my faves:

• How’s Work? with Esther Perel – this podcast is all about strengthening relational intelligence through listening to real life stories
• Dare to Lead with Brene Brown – you get a deep dive into leadership lessons from so many amazing leadership experts and researchers. When I was deep into my management development journey, I made listening to one episode of Dare to Lead a part of my morning routine.
• Work Life with Adam Grant – using Adam Grant’s words, not mine, this podcast shares tales that can help leaders “make work not suck”. 😂

How can The One on One support you?

You can go and talk to anyone and I bet they have plenty of stories about working for a bad boss, but struggle to recall working for a boss who actually cares about them and supports them well. 

I want to change that, and I want The One on One to support this change.

But to realize this vision where great bosses aren’t rarities, managers need to feel motivated, cared for, and supported…so I’m curious – how can The One on One support you more?
🏀 Respond back and share where you wish you could get better support. This newsletter is for you and I want to make sure it’s always something that supports you.