My best HR management idea: Stopping new-supervisor screw-ups – in 20 minutes
March 5, 2008 by Jim GiulianoPosted in: In this week's e-newsletter, Latest News & Views, My best management idea, Training
HR manager Marilyn Weixel found that no matter how much training she did for her new managers, they still made crucial mistakes in key tasks, such as giving performance appraisals or interviewing candidates. Here’s how she fixed the problem.
As part of an ongoing series, we’ll have practicing HR managers present real problems they faced and how they solved them.
Despite our solid training program for new managers, they still made some glaring mistakes in crucial supervisor situations.
For instance, they might ask the wrong questions during an interview with a candidate or make a legally iffy remark during a performance review. We had done the training, so what more could we do?
We decided to do periodic refresher training, which was time-consuming and unpopular among the managers. But we had to do what we had to do. Still, they made more mistakes. What now?
One subject for 20 minutes
We had one more trick up our sleeve. We called it just-in-time management training. Here’s how it worked.
Whenever a manager was getting ready to do a typical supervisory task, such as
a performance review or a candidate interview, we scheduled a 20-minute training session with the manager, covering only that task.
That way, we were able to focus on the task at hand and do it in quick, concentrated bites. Our managers were a lot more receptive to that than to the old-style catch-all refresher training. And we nearly eliminated the mistakes that had been so common before.
(Marilyn Weixel, VP, Association of Group Insurance Administrators, Carpinteria, CA)
Tags: Management, supervisor, Training
March 25th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
How did you get new supervisors to appreciate the 20-min training? Is this for first-time supervisors?
September 3rd, 2008 at 4:00 pm
Marilyn -
An excellent strategy!!
One model I’ve seen work wonders goes something like this:
HR: I see you’re scheduled to review Jack’s performance next week. I thought we’d just touch base beforehand. (Of course you shared this when you set the appointment and you asked them to bring along what they’re preparing for the upcoming performance review.)
My calendar shows we reserved 20 minutes to talk today – is that still a good timeframe for you?
Sup: Sure.
HR: So, let’s start from the top. What’s your objective for your discussion with Jack?
Then, proceed with more open ended questions to hear what the Supervisor knows and knows how to do. Examples might include:
What were Jack’s key business objectives this last period? To what extent did he meet them? How do you handle mid-stream feedback and how has it gone when you discussed these objectives with Jack? Given that, what needs to be your focus during the Review and how will you handle those issues?
Tell me what Jack’s strengths are, from your perspective. How are you going to reinforce these areas of performance during the review? What do you think he believes his strengths are?
Where are his developmental opportunities? To what extent do you think he is aware of (each)? How can you discuss this/these without it overshadowing the otherwise terrific job Jack is doing?/How are you planning on phrasing your comments to emphasize the seriousness of his need to improve in this area?
On a scale of 1 – 10, where would you place Jack’s level of morale? Engagement? What’s your best guess as to what’s happening with that? What have you tried so far to motivate him? Great idea – how did it work in this case? What else might you try?
And so forth – with the emphasis on open ended questions so that the Supervisor can share what they’ve done/what they’re planning and get your support. (This takes a lot of pressure off you, by the way – as you can now “see” or rather, hear where the gaps in the supervisor’s knowledge/skill are rather than trying to address every thing.)
A couple of cautions: you want to encourage the Supervisor to think and learn during this dicussion and so you want to keep the focus on “exploring ideas and experiences”. If s/he misses your mark with an answer, be sincere in acknowledging the idea as an option, ask what other approaches s/he might consider and then **share** your favorite technique/tip as another option that has worked well for you in similar cases. As necessary, then, you can be honest with your concerns regarding their initial approach but I think you’ll be surprised at how often the supervisor will see the advantages of another approach and voice the shortcomings of his/her original idea without prompting.
To wrap up, shift from content and process to the Feeling Dimension. Most supervisors I’ve worked with dread performance reviews until they begin to see them as an opportunity to plan for the future. So – ask them what their sentiments are regarding the upcoming discussion. What are they dreading (if anything) and what are they looking forward to?
Finally, of course, express your confidence in the Supervisor’s ability to handle the situation well and to find their own voice in doing so. While you want to extend an offer of further support if needed, focus on inviting them to come back and “debrief” following the review.
The feedback I’ve gotten from this approach is that it eases the angst “going in” to a review because it allows the supervisor to think through the process safely and in detail. For most supervisors, it also bolsters their sense of professionalism as they’ve just had a collegial discussion with you (rather than having been at the receiving end of another training session) and you’ve given them a lot of supportive feedback.
(Sylvia WynnLindeman, Founder/Sr. Consultant – Practical Management Network, Sonoma County, CA; coach_sylvia@yahoo.com)
September 29th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
Hi Jim,
How large is Marilyn’s company? I’m curious about her ratio of HR Coaches to Managers. Also, how did you initially communicate to the managment team that you would be conducting this just-in-time training? Was it required or optional?