When I apply to speak at conferences, I often have to plead my case. The topics I speak on- largely in the areas of staff and leadership development- are generally considered not very exciting, particularly in the direct service world of youth where it is not uncommon for sessions to involve dancing and embrace the vibe of wacky. Conference organizers frequently let me know that people want to go to sessions that provide fun, colorful ideas for working directly with clients. They are not as interested, they tell me, in organizational capacity. Topics related to staffing, leadership support and team dynamics just don’t draw enough people in, they argue. But this is important and necessary, I argue back. My sessions are apparently considered the broccoli of the human service world.
Sometimes the conference organizers are right. My sessions don’t always draw in the biggest crowds, but they do draw in engaged and appreciative ones. People in leadership positions recognize the importance of their roles and rarely get the leadership support they need to do them well. This includes during conference time. While frontline staff are inundated with options of sessions to choose from, those in leadership positions are often left with little and sometimes no choice at all.
But something has shifted during the last few conferences I have attended, and it culminated, or perhaps fully began at my conference this past week.
My session was on How to Become the Supervisor Your Staff Need. I was scheduled to speak twice, once on Friday and once on Saturday, the last day of the conference, at 8:00 in the morning. The room sat 55, but I was told that these types of sessions are never full, particularly at 8:00 on a Saturday morning. They told me to prepare 100 handouts and I would undoubtedly be fine.
Except I wasn’t.
It was one of the most thrilling and welcome problems I have ever had. And like all presenters, I have had a long history of problems throughout my presentation life. Including the January morning when the heat went out, my copies were done incorrectly and the projector screen was never located, so I did not have access to my slides. It was the second presentation I ever did. Future blog post coming on that one.
During my sessions, I do my best to learn everyone’s name, and at the very least, make note of everyone’s faces. This day was no different. As people began entering the room, I welcomed them and made small talk as I generally do. But they just kept coming. And coming. And coming. Faster than I could make my way to them. Pretty soon, every chair was taken, yet they kept on coming. I let as many in as were interested, inviting them sit on the floor or stand wherever they wanted. We all did our best to make the presentation as comfortable and valuable as possible for everyone who wanted to be there. And boy, did they want to be there. They sat on the floor and at at least a dozen stood in the hallway. My 100 handouts were not enough for even that first day.
As exciting and telling as that moment was, it was arguably topped by the next day’s session. Since people came to his conference from all 50 states and even from some other countries, they were coming and going throughout the week. Many had already flown back or were planning to fly back on Saturday. Some simply needed the extra rest. The 8:00 am Saturday session was a quiet one, I was told, and I should prepare accordingly. Except it wasn’t. Like the day before, the seats in the room filled quickly, yet people kept on coming. Again, people sat on the floor and stood in the hallway to participate in the session. I simply could not believe it.
I am confident enough to say that it was in fact a strong session, and I am humble enough to admit that it still needs some work. But that didn’t matter. What the attendance those two days showed is that, despite what conference organizers try to argue, people do want more support when it comes to becoming strong leaders, even if it is a little less flashy than other sessions. We need to honor that, and give them the leadership support they need.
Unfortunately, it is still the norm for people to get promoted into management without receiving any management training or support and without any discussion of whether or not they actually want to be in management. This is counter to what we know to be true:
* that supervising other people is its own skillset and mindset
* that most people do not naturally become strong supervisors
* that anyone can become a better supervisor with the right training and leadership support
* that not everyone wants to be a supervisor
* that people who do not want to be supervisors and become supervisors will never be great at it
My hope is to work with people before they enter management so they can do so prepared and with confidence. In reality, most of my clients come to me after having been supervisors for years. They find me only after reaching a state of desperation, having struggled for too long in a role they were not trained for, and in many cases, have no interest in. Our work together is a welcome relief and provides the support they never received but always needed. It is valuable work but it would be far better for everyone involved to receive this support from the beginning. We continue to set our management up for failure by refusing to give them that support. We need to do better.
Not only should we train and support our managers throughout their tenure, we should have an honest conversation with them regarding their interest in being a manager. And not just once. People’s goals and interests change over time, and just because someone does or does not want to be a manager at this point in time, does not mean that will always be the case. When they realize they don’t have any interest, we need to be creative in how we recognize and promote them. Leadership is a privilege and responsibility that requires desire to do it well. It should not be collateral damage on the way to a bigger office.
As you plan your team’s next professional development or the next conference or the next one-on-one meeting, think about how you can best support your leaders and your aspiring leaders. Focus on best practices while having conversations with your team to find out what their goals are and if management is one of them. If so, get them the leadership support they need so they can fulfill their role effectively. Do not make them sit on the floor because they are so desperate for support that they will take whatever they can get.
The most authentic goal an organization can have is to put itself out of business by solving its targeted problem once and for all. It is my hope that someday my conference sessions are empty because every leader is getting the support they need from their respective organizations. Until then, we will make room for you to get the support you need in whatever way we can offer it. Let’s talk about how.
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