Ryan McCrea is the Head of Learning and Leadership Development at Ameren. A passionate believer in the potential of development, Ryan also believes in the criticality and value of the manager, and while this is not new, it has grown in importance in today’s world of work.
During our conversation, Ryan spoke about the role of the manager in today’s workplace, and why this is different. Ryan also shared some specific examples of how he’s seen companies do manager development well, as well as practical ideas for how we can better identify, develop and champion managers.
The Edge of Work: Let’s talk about managers. Why are they so important, and what’s holding us back from helping them become more effective?
Managers are crucial because they serve as the linchpin between organizational goals and their team’s execution. They ensure alignment, motivation, and productivity, all essential for success. However, several factors hinder their effectiveness. Managers often experience key barriers such as limited training and development opportunities, overwhelming administrative tasks, and a lack of autonomy to make decisions.
Empowering managers with better training, reducing administrative burdens, and fostering a culture of trust and empowerment can significantly enhance their effectiveness and drive organizational and team success.
Another huge barrier is how prolific the player/coach approach to leadership is in 2024.
It feels like almost all companies expect a leader to not only lead, but also do most of the work of the team members. This doesn’t stop at first line supervisors. I am seeing it all the way up to Vice Presidents.
Because of the structure and way managers are rewarded, leaders often make the decision to focus on the work instead of leading their teams to be more effective. They are incentivized to focus all their attention on only achieving results, leaving less time for leading teams. There needs to be a more intentional balance, so leaders have time to lead and are rewarded for it. When leaders are empowered to lead effectively, the organization reaps the benefits.
The Edge of Work: Developing managers isn’t new, but why is it so critical in 2024?
Developing managers is crucial in 2024, just as it has been in previous years, for several key reasons. However, It’s heightened by the way we work post-COVID. In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, managers must possess a diverse skill set that includes not only technical expertise but also strong leadership, communication, and adaptability skills. This is particularly important in an era where remote work, digital transformation, and collaboration are the norm.
Leadership is also changing. Command and control leadership is shifting to a more human centric approach. Leaders need to be able to find a balance of holding people accountable & driving results but also treating their teams with some empathy and understanding. Some organizations slowed down on leadership development during the pandemic. If they haven’t picked it back up, now is the time. New leaders expect support and resources to make them effective at both technical and people skills.
Developing managers isn’t going away any time soon. Baby boomers are retiring in droves. They will be replaced by younger and younger leaders due to the birth gap between generations. We have talked about this for years. It’s time to stop the talk and get prepared to develop new or neglected leaders.
By investing in manager and leadership development, companies ensure they have the talent and capabilities needed to navigate challenges, drive innovation, and achieve sustainable growth in an increasingly competitive market.
The Edge of Work: What are some interesting and impactful approaches you’ve seen companies take with developing managers?
A few of my favorite programs that were launched on teams I lead or was a part of:
- Aspiring Managers Discovery Session: a 2.5-hour session that focused on giving aspiring leaders all the information they needed to have a better understanding of what it meant to be a leader and the expectations that come with the role. The session included pre-work interviews with leaders and a post-session handbook for the person to have a conversation with their leader.
- Guiding Others Forum: A quarterly forum that brought all leaders together focused on a key development area. Topics included leading remotely, giving feedback, psychological safety and more. Resources were provided from executives in launch emails early in the quarter and forums were held after 4 weeks of the resources being available. The forums consisted of a quick information share but mostly involved connecting leaders to learn with and from each other.
- Reverse Mentoring: The key to these is setting them up we right training around skills and expectations. Also, having enough structure to support the participants. What I love about reverse mentoring is the connection and conversations that come with this type of mentorship. That traditional paradigm of the mentor being the wise sage is removed and can lead to more honest and frank conversations for both sides. It highlights the value, perspective and skills of up and coming leaders with the added benefit of mentees learning from a seasoned leader.
The Edge of Work: Outside of traditional methods of training and leadership development, what are other important things companies need to do in order to improve the effectiveness/efficacy of their managers?
This gets back to my earlier concern around the player/coach approach to leadership. What are organizations doing to help their managers and leaders carve out time to lead? This often has more to do with culture and time than anything. The roles and organizational structures are often built in way that doesn’t help leaders have time to focus on their teams. The organizational culture must support and value key activities like building team effectiveness, performance & development conversations, mentoring and job shadowing. Saying it and doing it are two different things.
One organization I was with incentivized development. As an individual contributor you were rated on how well you focused on your development. That was part of the factors that impacted your yearly bonus. As a leader, you were not only responsible for your own growth but that of your team. If you ignored development and growth for you or your team, you felt it in your pocket. That communicated a loud and clear message about development and growth for everyone, including leaders.
The Edge of Work: What are some ways we can improve how we identify the right kinds of managers and leaders?
This is such an important topic. Because most organizations tend to overvalue technical abilities, they often overlook those human centered skills needed to be a good leader.
When working with aspiring or emerging leaders I like to make sure they understand a few key things (and that I understand how they view or answer these questions):
- What is their personal leadership “why”. Think of the golden circle from Start With Why by Simon Sinek. We should be curious about why does someone want to be a leader. Are they doing it for the right reasons? Is it just about money or power? If so, I think any leader can tell you, disappointment is coming.
- Do they have an informed view of what a leader does in their organization. What can we do to give them a realistic job preview of what the role of a leader really looks like? Open the curtain on the good and the bad. Maybe even the ugly.
- Are they committed to building this new skillset. Taking on a leader role for the first time is a huge career shift. It’s not about if you are a great accountant or engineer. Are you a great leader or developer of people? Few are great right out of the gate.
- Can they take a step back and give visibility and opportunities to their team. You can’t hoard all the great projects and experiences for yourself. This can be a particularly difficult shift for a high performing person who only really relied on their skills for success. It’s not just about you anymore. Leading a team requires a level of selflessness.
- Are they a good communicator and listener. Good leaders communicate a lot. They should listen even more. Sometimes, these may be tough conversations. I want to understand if they are comfortable with conflict, know how to navigate it and can hold others accountable.
The Edge of Work: What is one thing you’d like leaders to do differently so they can create a better workplace for their people?
Have more beneficial and meaningful 1:1s. These meetings are often so tactical. Conversations about non-task work never go beyond “How was your weekend?”. Conversation that aren’t so focused on tasks are an opportunity to build trust. Take time to understand what makes a person tick or why they do the things they do.
Ask more questions and listen intently. Ask them about their development. Give candid and thoughtful feedback. Get feedback about how you lead. Share information and context from meetings they don’t attend. Leaders can do better here, and it lends itself to becoming a more human-centered leader.