Ruby's Hospitality Group, LLC

Lanea Mejia

Frontline Leadership Champion

Many organizations are spending their time, resources and investments on controlling costs, reducing turnover and using incentives to build systems that drive operational consistency. For these organizations, the employees most important to accomplishing actionable results are first-line managers. Yet there can be a gap in learning and development when programs become too focused on what employees need to accomplish tasks rather than what they need to understand, lead and become part of the brand as individuals who can make an impact.

First-line managers are often new to management or have been promoted internally and are then asked to deliver results. The question for HR and L&D leaders cannot simply be, “Did they complete the training?” It should also be, “Did we develop their ability to lead and impact results?”

The Impact of First-Line Managers

The first-line manager is one of the most impactful people within every company and is often overlooked. These are the individuals who interact with employees every day, set expectations and accountability around brand standards, provide feedback, recognize performance and determine how the organization’s values show up in the workplace and for the customer.

Their ability to perform a job may have earned them their first leadership position, but that doesn’t immediately give them the ability to lead. Creating development paths for first-line employees and providing further education opportunities can strengthen the culture and build internal employee passion and brand ownership. Many employees at this level become more engaged and develop a stronger connection to the brand when they feel supported and engaged by their direct managers.

Moving Beyond Task-Based Training

The learning and development experience must create an impact for each individual who comes through its programs. It starts with basic training that includes a leadership focus. Driving task completion and checklist utilization is only the first step in enabling new managers to create a thriving team.

Culture is not created simply because an organization writes it into a value statement or teaches it during orientation. Culture is experienced through the daily interactions employees have with their leaders and trainers. Developing a training system that empowers trainees to lead with confidence becomes the first step in driving company goals and culture.

For most first-line managers, this means cultivating an understanding of how to coach employees and have conversations about why the company has certain policies or how a task is best performed. These skills need to be developed through the learning and development process.

Building Leadership Into the Learning Experience

Learning and development needs to go beyond checklists and task completion to incorporate leadership development into the learning experience. Basic operational training is necessary, but it is only the foundation. Training should also provide opportunities to practice coaching conversations, assess situations, understand individual employees’ needs, make decisions and lead with confidence.

“The first-line manager is one of the most impactful people within every company and is often overlooked.”

When development creates that level of understanding, managers are better positioned to impact results through their first-line employees and instill company initiatives with a sense of ownership. This type of relationship can create stronger engagement, greater confidence and a stronger sense of ownership among employees.

Engaging with individuals at this level with patience, supported by coaching, tools and improvement plans, can build relationships between employees and their managers that lead to accomplishments aligned with company goals, contribute to a strong culture and develop brand ownership among individuals.

Developing People Who Can Lead Others

The learning and development process has an opportunity to extend beyond teaching tasks and checking boxes to drive greater interpersonal growth among first-line employees. Companies could see a shift in employee engagement, a stronger understanding of roles and responsibilities and a clearer sense of each employee’s impact on culture if they invested in development programs that create leaders.

The real measure of impact is whether an organization’s programs are designed to prepare people to perform a task or to develop people who can lead others, take ownership and carry the brand forward.

If the goal is to achieve measurable results, drive lasting engagement, strengthen internal talent and develop employees who genuinely believe in the organization they represent, the investment has to start with the people closest to the work.