Managers Just Don’t Happen

By Rick Dacri, Dacri & Associates

Where are you going to find your next supervisor or General Manager? Is she already on your payroll or are you planning to recruit for her? Will you need someone soon or sometime down the road? Do you have a plan or will you worry about it when the time comes? We are all faced with the difficulty of finding key talent for our organization. Survey after survey points to the problem of finding quality managers—and the problem is only getting worse as more and more retirements occur and the availability of talent shrinks.

Many organizations have a wonderful tradition of “growing our own” and if we want to continue this we need to get better at it. Yet, at the same time, we may need to also source talent from the outside. In either situation we must have employees who have the skills and talents to grow within our organization. We need employees who have the potential to be developed. Our success is dependent upon it.

Good, solid managers just don’t happen. Naming your best engineer, who has been with your organization for many years, is not necessarily a ticket for management success. Calling someone a manager does not make him one. It is more than a title. Yet, this is often how we do it and curiously enough, we are usually surprised when it does not work out. We assume that the guy who has been with us forever, who has been an outstanding widget maker or even a supervisor, will be ready to step in the general manager’s shoes when the time comes. Unfortunately, more times than not our assumption would be wrong, unless we have been developing this individual’s “GM skills” over the years.

Management skills are learned. They are not something you pick up in the field or that comes about as a result of attending a single seminar. We are not born with them. Skills development requires ongoing training, coaching, and a variety of different work experiences, mentoring and education. It also requires the right aptitude, attitude, and desire. When you have it all, you’ve got the makings of a great manager. Missing some key pieces and you have the recipe for failure.

Like growing a garden, developing a good manager won’t happen quickly, nor will it happen without a plan. Focus on hiring the right people, identifying those who have the potential to lead your business, and then begin the arduous, yet rewarding process of developing them.

The key is to put in place systems to recruit and develop your future stars. Begin by identifying your key positions and assessing your current talent. Implement an effort to clearly develop your talent into a group of “high potentials” that you can look to for greater responsibility. Don’t complicate the process. Make it simple—but begin the process today. Remember, great manager don’t just happen—they’re developed.

Rick Dacri is a human resource consultant, featured speaker at regional and national conferences, and author of the book “Uncomplicating Management: Focus On Your Stars & Your Company Will Soar.” Since 1995 his firm, Dacri & Associates has helped organizations improve individual and organizational performance. Rick connects with people in a positive and challenging way to offer practical solutions. He can be reached at 207-967-0837, or via email at rick@dacri.com