Most senior managers keep up-to-date with their professional development, whether they lead their companies in sales, marketing, IT, or HR. Both formal and informal training in this context is a matter of course for them. They even further their education in their leisure time. That is however, not the case of a more general knowledge of the current political situation, or the overall state of their industry and markets. Steve Arneson, executive coach and author of best-selling books on coaching, writes about his experience of this on conference-board.org. He has experience with senior managers' inadequate level of knowledge, and so he has created a list of basic training areas all senior managers in companies should be educated in.
1. Corporate values
Senior managers should be regularly trained in corporate values so that they can pass the values on to their subordinates in their daily work. Focus on ethics, compliance, and responsibilities of each senior manager.
2. The company as a whole
Every senior manager should know what and for what purpose the individual departments do in the company. The fact that somebody leads corporate IT does not mean that he should not be aware of what the company's sales department is trying to achieve. Try to search for better ways to share what people in your company are doing.
3. Industry and politics
Expand your senior managers' awareness regarding the latest developments in your industry - the competition, regulatory measures, etc. Involve your Chief Executive Director. Ask him to hold regular half-hour training sessions for senior managers at least once a year.
4. Global business development
If your company operates on multiple foreign markets, all its senior managers should be aware of the major trends in the relevant markets. They should also know their foreign colleagues and what they work on.
5. Presentation and communication skills
A senior manager must be able to speak in front of a large audience as well as to their teams. He should also know how to communicate with the media and journalists when speaking about the company. Do your senior managers have these skills?
-Kk-