What to do with poor managers

Let's face it, there are some people who are just not suited to managing people. They may lack emotional intelligence or struggle to feel empathy for their coworkers and no amount of training can fix this issue.

Symptoms may be that they confuse bullying with motivation or micromanagement with efficiency checks - but the end result is the repression of employee morale and a reduction in performance levels.

In these cases the writing is on the wall - department heads need to be seen to act or their staff will end up leaving for greener pastures.

It may be as simple as block in communications, with managers unable to understand how staff members are feeling and employees unwilling to enter into extended dialogue with their superiors for fear of retribution

Leadership training can help by providing managers with the tools to understand what it is their staff actually needs from them.

A key part of success in the leadership development process will be promoting the changes to staff that are affected by the manager's poor skills - as well as letting it be known to the individuals concerned that feedback is greatly appreciated.

Combined with ongoing training and regular feedback session these measures could provide a team with a much-needed boost in leader performance.