5 Things Every Employee Needs to Learn From Their Manager: Management Coach Rosa Say’s Insights

September Learning: Engage Your Brain and Make the Most of Today’s World

As we enter the month of September, many of us look back fondly at our school days and the excitement of learning something new. But as we grow older, we must remember that learning never stops, especially in today’s ever-evolving world. As a management coach and author of Managing with Aloha, Rosa Say emphasizes the importance of continuously learning and growing to succeed in both our personal and professional lives.

In particular, for managers, it is essential to both learn and teach to be effective coaches and mentors. From day one, there are five things that every employee needs to learn from their manager to set the foundation for growth and success:

1. Why You Hired Them: It is vital to communicate to employees why they were not just hired as a qualified candidate but for the values that they bring to the company. This elevates an employee’s self-esteem and sense of belonging. Shared values are common ground, and a business-partner mentality sets the stage for all future job objectives to be much more meaningful.

2. How to Work With You: Every manager has a unique working style, and it’s critical to communicate this to employees. Additionally, employees should be aware of the freedoms they have and do not have to push the envelope of change and newness with their manager. There should be no eggshells to tiptoe through; landmines should be in plain sight.

3. How to Talk to You: Employees must feel comfortable communicating with their manager, and this comfort level comes from getting to know each other. The Daily 5 Minutes is a straightforward yet effective communication tool that Rosa suggests.

4. How You Expect the Customer to Be Treated: As a manager, it’s essential to communicate your expectations for how customers should be treated. This includes both external and internal customers as well as colleagues, suppliers, and professional networks. There are ground rules in all civilized societies, and it’s vital to communicate what they are in your company.

5. Your Vision for the Company: It’s not enough to give a canned speech about the company’s vision. Managers should share what it personally means to them and how they strive to put their personal signature on it. Leading by example and setting the expectation for employees to put their personal signature on the company’s vision is key.

As a manager, it’s also vital to remember that every employee is unique and may need to learn and be managed in slightly different ways. However, by getting these five fundamental things right from the beginning, managers set the foundation for a successful coaching relationship with their employees.

Rosa emphasizes that learning should not be confined to the month of September. Instead, it is essential to embrace a whole-life/best-life approach to continuous learning and growth. As managers, it is our responsibility to inspire and foster a culture of continuous learning and development in our workplaces.

In conclusion, September Learning is a reminder that the excitement of learning and growing should never fade, no matter how old we get. As managers, we have a responsibility to coach and mentor our employees continually, setting them up for success in both their personal and professional lives.