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You've Just Been Promoted To Manager!
by George J. Downs, Jr.
"NOW WHAT DO I DO?!"
In the financial industry there are many people, who, through hard work, find themselves moving into management or a supervisory position with little or no formal training. Totally unprepared for the responsibilities that go with the territory, they usually do one of three things:
imitate those who have supervised them in the past.
become indecisive-making decisions and changes only when pushed to the wall.
fail!
Choice No. 4
There is a fourth alternative-management training. But in the real world that almost never happens. Some are fortunate enough to get training after their promotion to management. (Unfortunately, sometimes months or years after!)
That's the way it is in the financial industry…and always has been.
Sure, there are exceptions, but they're the exceptions and not the norm. Especially in the smaller financial institutions where often almost none of the managers or supervisors have had much in the line of real management training. Those employees fortunate enough to be trained usually had the training while working for larger organizations.
Might Have Been Great…
Many managers are destined to failure through no fault of their own. The sad part is that many, with proper training and direction, could have matured into successful managers.
Stress Creators…
Others survive because even though they have no management skills, they still do their job just well enough to continue their existence as managers. These are the managers that breed discontent and stress among the employees for whom they are responsible.
"Natural" Managers…
And then there are those who through powerful personality traits, political savvy, or other reasons make it up through the ranks to upper, or key levels of the organization, despite their lack of management training or skills.
Good managers usually have good inter-personal skills. Some otherwise weak managers survive and grow due to their strong inter-personal skills strength. Most of us, particularly those selected to be managers or supervisors, have the ability to learn and grow. The most difficult of all areas to learn is the inter-personal skills area.
We Get In Our Own Way
Frequently we allow our personality to impede us from working on the important issues that need compromise and the ability to admit when we are wrong. So often people-even for the overall health of the financial institution-are unable to allow a compromise or to admit being wrong. Nothing is more stifling to individual and organizational growth.
Time and Money a Problem
Why does the lack of management training continue? The two biggest reasons are time and money. We MUST send employees to programs about new regulations, or compliance, or new products. But we never seem to have the ability to free people from their day-to-day duties to allow them to attend management training courses or workshops. One reason is the cost factor-especially when you're in a situation of trying to train a limited number of people. That's where the larger organizations have the big advantage.
They have the people for coverage and backup, and they also have the numbers to train from a cost effective standpoint.
Will it change for the smaller organizations? Not likely, and in some ways it could get worse. There has been so much pressure to cut back staff and expenses that the situation will probably not change in the foreseeable future.
Cutting Training a Bad Move
Banking is a domino business. Some so-called industry "experts" determine that the thing to do is scale down. Then one by one each financial institution falls into place, cutting back because that's what everyone is doing. Therefore, it must be the right thing to do.
Sometimes the results are truly tragic.
Training dollars, programs, even trainers themselves have been surgically removed over the past few years. You can envision the effect it will have in years to come. The price will be paid by the present employees, the financial institution, and certainly by the end user of services-the customer.
What To Do…Classes/Books
Is there anything that can be done? Fortunately, yes. The untrained individual can conscientiously attempt to obtain some logical do-it-yourself training. This can be done by reading and also by taking some courses-on your own if necessary. Give yourself every chance at success as a manager. Some local schools offer adult education, and community colleges in your area will have courses in management. Many even offer counseling to choose the proper books and classes that will help the banking employee reach their individual goal.
Bankers' Educational Organizations
Some other possible alternatives are for the banking organizations to work through the local community colleges to extend offerings of management and supervisory training that can be attended by people in your area.
Co-op Offerings
It is also possible for several organizations to forge a plan by which a consultant can be brought in to put on training programs for the benefit of all of them. This would make something available to their people that would not be available otherwise-in such a way that it is cost effective for all participating financial institutions.
No Quick Cure
It is unlikely that the overall lack of management training will be cured. This is especially true of the smaller financial institutions because of the time and cost constraints. Larger organizations will, as in the past, have commitments to management training. However, that training usually runs in cycles from "feast to famine."
In the meantime, we will survive, both individuals and financial institutions. However, only those who commit to training people who are new to the ranks of management and supervision will receive the dividends that will appear in three major areas: more capable, happier employees, better managed corporations, and more satisfied customers.
To borrow a phrase from a well known advertisement, "Who could ask for anything more?"
George Downs is a veteran of 27 years in the banking industry, with experience from Branch Management to Quality Service Coordinator for CoreStates Bank, Philadelphia.
Copyright © 1993 Bankers' Hotline. Originally appeared in Bankers' Hotline, Vol. 4, No. 2, 7/93
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