Thanks to Adi Gaskell, from CMI and a regular Great Leadership reader and commenter, for bringing this November 10th press release to my attention. He says “It's been very popular here in the UK with the likes of the BBC and Daily Telegraph running stories on it. I think it could run well on your blog.”
I did a Google news search and it looks like the U.S. press hasn’t picked up on it yet, so consider this breaking news. Might even be a first for Great Leadership. (-:
Has the leadership “crisis” gotten so bad that we need to turn to the government for help? It apparently has in the U.K. I’m afraid we’re not too far behind in the United States. The federal government is already managing General Motors. And for any private sector organization that took a government bailout, they’re being told how to pay their executives.
Take a look at the press release, then my commentary at the end. I’d be interested in your thoughts.
Half of workers quit jobs due to bad management
10th November 2009
Better Managed Britain campaign launched to bring about skills transformation
Almost half of workers surveyed (47 per cent) have left a job due to bad management, figures from CMI today revealed.
A new survey of the UK workforce (3,000 adults surveyed by OnePoll), conducted on behalf of the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) also revealed that 50 per cent believe that they could do a better job than their current manager and a similar number (49 per cent) said they would be prepared to take a pay cut, in order to work with a better manager.
Ruth Spellman, CMI chief executive, said: “The figures reveal the depth of the crisis of confidence in UK management and leadership and the enormous toll bad management is taking on the UK economy and people’s wellbeing.” Tonight, CMI, as the champion of management and leadership excellence in the UK, will meet with representatives from the three main political parties at the launch of its Manifesto for a Better Managed Britain to demand that urgent action is taken to transform management and leadership performance.
More than 1,500 leaders and managers have already pledged their commitment to CMI’s Manifesto, from organisations including PriceWaterhouseCoopers and Interbrand. The Manifesto, the result of extensive research, analysis and consultation, calls for managers, organisations and the Government to pledge their commitment to help meet the economic, social and political challenges facing Britain. It sets out the case for the Government to make the development of effective managers a national priority – with the public sector leading by example. Employers are called upon to develop professional managers and leaders in their organisations and to foster a culture where competence and accountability are paramount. The requirement for individual managers is to demonstrate professionalism, be role models and commit to continuous professional development.
68 per cent of managers surveyed confessed to being ‘accidental’ managers, not aspiring to occupy management roles at the start of their careers. Two in five admitted to not wanting the responsibility of managing people at all, while 63 per cent of managers say they had no management training. Only 28 per cent of managers hold any type of formal management qualification.
Ruth Spellman continued: “It’s not surprising bad management is such an issue in the UK. We invest less in our managers than our global competitors and it shows. It’s telling that the majority of individuals never set out to manage people, and have not been trained to do so. If we’re going to stay competitive internationally, the Government and employers need to address this worrying skills gap. In what other profession would it be acceptable for only a quarter of practitioners to hold a professional qualification? The sad truth is that UK managers are no longer regarded as professional, competent or accountable. By signing up to the Manifesto, policy makers, managers and leaders can demonstrate their commitment to raising UK plc’s game.”
Dan’s Commentary:
Government should pledge to make development of effective managers a priority and to lead by example, by supporting professional management and leadership in the public sector.
Tax breaks for employers investing in professional, accredited training should be common ground between the political parties and a key part of any Budget that seeks a Better Managed Britain.
Government backing for the development of a Youth Academy for Management and Leadership.
Government needs to ensure that more up-to-date and accurate labor market information on management and leadership practices, capabilities and qualifications is collected.
CMI is a respected organization, and I’m sure their proposals are well intended. However, they also appear to be somewhat self-serving, considering CMI is a provider of leadership and management training. That’s kind of like Jenny Craig Weight Loss Centers calling for making weight loss a national priority, with tax breaks and funding for weight loss programs.
The proposal that I like the most is the first one. I’d love to see the government lead by example. And you know, the reality is, I’m sure a lot of their managers already are. It’s just that we only hear about the high profile failures from the media. I’ve personally met plenty of outstanding, role model leaders from the public sector. In fact, many of the leading executive education programs have heavy participation from federal agencies, so it’s not like they aren’t paying attention to leadership development. And let’s not forget the military – the U.S. Army has a world-class leadership development program.
Of all the proposals, the one that scares me the most is the last one. I could envision myself spending hundreds of hours pulling together the equivalent of a yearly Affirmative Action Plan for leadership and management development. Arrrgh! No thanks, that kind of “help” we don’t need.
So what do you think? What should the government’s role be, if any, in addressing the shortage of great leadership and management talent?
