“You don’t drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there.”
– Unknown

“View life as a continuous learning experience.”
– Denis Waitley

For the last several months, I’ve been talking about the tidal wave heading toward the shores of American business. The Baby Boom generation is reaching retirement age and more than 20 million workers – including the executive management team in many businesses — will retire in the next eight to ten years. In order to survive, organizations must be prepared for the inevitable leadership transitions ahead.

My previous two articles covered pre-transition planning and how to ensure a successful transition for new leaders. I’ll wrap up the series with tips on ensuring long-term success for your new managers.

As many as 25% of new managers fail during the critical first 12 to 18 months on the job and it’s essential to help them navigate through this transition period. However, many organizations make the mistake of thinking the job is done when the initial transition has been completed. There are several reasons why new managers need long-term mentoring and development:

• Every new manager comes into the job with gaps in his/her skills and capabilities. No matter how strong the candidate, no matter how effective your management development program, every new leader has weaknesses that must be overcome. It may take more than 18 months to complete these development steps.

• Continuous feedback helps accelerate the learning curve. New managers who have ongoing access to a mentor who can reinforce areas of strength and coach them in areas of weakness will become more productive more quickly.

• New managers will gain a more seasoned perspective on their job over time. As new managers become more familiar with their management peers, their subordinates and their responsibilities, new questions and concerns will arise. Without ongoing mentoring, new managers may begin to feel isolated and lose confidence in their management abilities.

• New leaders need objective input on their progress. Most new managers can pinpoint a few areas where they’re feeling very confident or where they know they need help. However, no one can objectively assess his/her total performance.

• Constant change is the new norm. Even managers who have been well prepared to handle today’s challenges will need ongoing development to handle the challenges of next month and next year. Simply put, the skills that enabled the manager to get the promotion are not enough to maintain a high level of productivity over the long term.

• It’s lonely at the top. All managers, even those who’ve been in leadership positions for many years, need someone with whom they can brainstorm solutions to challenges, kick around ideas and commiserate when the going gets tough. Ongoing mentoring and coaching keeps managers fresh and helps to increase innovation and productivity.

An example
One of our clients, having identified a pool of seven “high potentials” has initiated a development program for them that includes ongoing individual coaching as well as team coaching and training. The focus over the first year is learning about themselves as leaders; their core values, and strengths and weaknesses that can impact their effectiveness. In addition, they will be taking on planning roles for aspects of the company that will teach them how to think more clearly about the business and allow senior managers to participate with them in strategic and tactical conversations. In short, we are developing this team systematically to be the senior leaders of the company in the future, allowing for business continuity and long-term success.

The bottom line
Organizations that want great leaders know that management is a never ending journey. They implement management development programs to create a pool of strong candidates ready to move into leadership roles when needed. They support new managers through the critical first 18 months on the job. They complete the cycle with ongoing coaching, mentoring and development programs to help their managers continuously build new skills and maximize their capabilities. When the tidal wave of Baby Boomer retirement hits their shores, these organizations will not just survive; they will be ready to move ahead of their unprepared competitors.

How is your organization ensuring long-term success for new managers?