The report found that 77% of managers wanted more opportunity to develop their skills. In fact, they valued this sort of opportunity so much that 88% of them would consider investing time at home and 72% would consider contributing financial to fund their course.

 

Modern managers simply don’t see themselves as the perfect package with nothing missing – there’s room for improvement and they know it.

Equally the report finds that, businesses shouldn’t fear making their managers more employable by improving training and should instead concentrate on the personal benefits each individual can experience. This is backed up by the statistics, with only 23% of those managers surveyed seeing training as an opportunity to upskill and leave for a new job.

In fact, over half (51%) said the benefit came in making them feel more valued and more effective in their role. One question that most businesses will ask though, is what the best sort of training is for my managers? As I suggested at the start of this blog, it would be wrong for employers to presume that their managers thought they knew it all and did not want to learn. At the same time, it would be wrong to simply sign up managers to whole draft of training without getting their feedback first.

 

Managers may well know exactly what sort of training is right for them, they just don’t want to bring it up because of professional pride. 360 degree appraisals are perfect for this sort of engagement because of the privacy benefits they include.

By anonymously asking your staff what sort of training they need, you’ll not only save the money you’d otherwise have wasted on unnecessary training, you’ll also be empowering them to choose the training they need to feel valued and effective. Employers should remember that managers want to develop as much as anyone else and that it’s employers’ responsibility to find the necessary tools to make it happen.

Elva Ainsworth 

Managing Director
Talent Innovations – Download our whitepaper at 360 Degree Appraisal