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talent toolbox breakfast, November 2009

We like this article written by Martin Kornacki from Training Journal online...

Workers should be able to choose who manages them, according to an award-winning training company.

Henry Stewart of Happy People, which specialises in organisational development, claims such a move would improve employee engagement, motivate staff and increase productivity, as well as highlighting who the good managers are within an organisation.

Speaking at a seminar, held in London this morning by employee retention organisation Talent Toolbox, Stewart said people work best when they feel good about themselves, are challenged and trusted and so a manager’s job should be to encourage well being.

“What characterises truly great workplaces is when you have trust and freedom,” he said.

“For me great management is to get out of the way. The most radical thing we believe in is that a manager should be chosen on who is best at managing.”

...Stewart argued that many organisations undervalue good people managers and his company, which was rated top in the 2009 Great Place to Work awards, advocates an organisational structure where managers are not necessarily made up of technical experts who hold the most experience.

“Organisations must recognise that a lot of people are not going to be great managers,” he said.

“There may be a period of adjustment at first but in many cases it is a win all round. When management responsibility is taken away from a member of staff who is then able to focus on the area of work they enjoy and are best at, for many that will be a sigh of relief.”

16 November 2009