
Why must managers learn to love micromanaging?
Working with managers over the last decades I am getting more and more convinced that despite trainings (or because of a lot of poor ones) managers have got confused about the concept of management.
Recently, corporate clients around the world have expressed an increasing need for leadership development services that can be delivered without personal contact. Effective digital leadership programs do not equal with providing the same offline content through online channels. Similarly, classic e-learning approaches have not proven to yield convincing results in the skills development domain. However, a blended approach combining a state-of-the-art mobile microlearning tool with the personal touch of small group can:
Digital Leadership Mentoring is a custom designed program for team leaders, managers and directors who intend to refresh their leadership knowledge and are committed to turn those insights into their daily work.
The recommended duration of the program is six months. At the first kick-off session, Act2Manage app is introduced to the participants to ensure that they make the best use of this mobile learning tool. Each month, one Act2Manage topic is covered by the participant, typically including 4-6 management dilemmas discussed in microlearning units. Specific action steps or commitments are made to turn new or refreshed knowledge into action. At the end of the month, an online, individual or small group coaching session is facilitated by a seasoned practitioner to follow up progress, discuss questions, solve problems, learn from peers and agree on further action steps.
Program content is fully customized to maximize relevance for the manager. It may come from the combination of these sources:
Working with managers over the last decades I am getting more and more convinced that despite trainings (or because of a lot of poor ones) managers have got confused about the concept of management.
It’s always great to see when L&D professionals make an effort to find data-based evidence for the effectiveness of various training and development initiatives. One day, Fuse, a digital learning tool provider (no, not LMS, but a totally different approach) joined forces with the AI Center of University College London to work for Carpetright, an international retailer with 420 outlets and 3000 employees. They wanted to find out if digital learning results in measurable performance improvement in sales.
Over the past twenty years I have had a chance to see hundreds of performance appraisal documents that had a goal setting section. An incredibly high proportion contained low quality, vague goals, such as “keep up with the good work” or “develop communication skills”. All these managers missed an opportunity to actually carry out their primary responsibilities: improve the work performance and output of their people, and help them grow.
With all my love and respect for my female friends, I have observed that many of them suffer from a lifetime challenge, which may seem rather contradictory for the careful observer: (1) they have nothing to wear, (2) how can they find storing space for that huge amount of “nothing” in her wardrobe.