Tom Peters, trans-generational management guru supreme, has been ranting increasingly vociferously about the role of first-line managers on Twitter. At the core of his ongoing thesis are two things:
1. An organisation is ONLY ever as good as its cache of first-line managers
2. First-line managers are a direct reflection of the cultural tone set by the senior leaders; their experience and their training and development.
I couldn’t agree more. In Brand Engagement, based on two decades of working within the engagement field, I reversed the logic of CEO as the primary communicator vociferously arguing the case for the ceo (chief engagement officer) or first-line management community.
SO, if we assume that the tales of engagement levels in the lower quartile are true (or even if we retain a healthy skepticism), isn’t it worth reflecting on how organisations are engaging their engagers? Even when budgets are too tight for scatter-gun or mass immersion approaches to engagement, doesn’t it make even more sense to awaken the sleeping giant within and focus on a relatively under-utilised legion of potential champions?
Or perhaps Tom’s wrong!
Well…I know who I believe.
If you would like a conversation about developing your line management community into mentors, champions and role models, drop us a line.