Article by Steve Hancox, published in ChamberVision (The Official publication of the Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce), Vol. 38, Issue 8, August 1999, page 8.

Management Development for Small Business America’s most successful companies have one thing in common – excellent management development programs. Unfortunately, many CEO’s of small companies believe they cannot afford to develop their managers. The truth is, they can’t afford not to. Entrepreneurs want their company to grow sales, retain and serve new customers and increase their profitability. Successful companies will need managers who are capable of taking on more responsibilities. While external training programs can be helpful, their cost and time demands can often put them out of reach of small companies. Fortunately, much management development work can be done on the job and at no cost to the company. Project Management Why: Before you can delegate authority to someone else in your company, you must first gain confidence in their decision making process and ability. How: Identify a difficult project that needs to be accomplished. Choose one that you feel would be a stretch for your manager. Rather than simply turning the project over to the developing manager, work closely together. Repeat this process for a series of projects. Communicate: You will need to ask questions and you can use those questions to lead the project. Every step of the project gives you an opportunity to solicit your manager’s thoughts regarding how he or she intends to proceed (a habit you are trying to instill anyway). That dialogue can help you learn about the abilities and progress of the developing manager while he/she is learning from you. Personnel Management Why: Your employees are your company’s most valuable resource. Work closely with your unproven managers and supervisors to develop their skills and to protect your employees from the effects of poor management. How: Instill your values and establish the standards by which you want your employees treated. Communicate: People come from various backgrounds and with different values. Take the time to work with those you entrust with supervisory responsibilities to ensure that they understand diversity and adopt your company’s philosophy and character. The best manager is one who can be trusted to lead people and make decisions in a way that will be good for your business. By developing his or her planning, decision-making and supervisory skills, you will have someone you can trust to help you run your business.

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