pickles37 Posted October 29, 2015 Posted October 29, 2015 Hello, To all the managers out there, how do you get support or mentoring for your role?? I have had a lot of staff issues over the last two years, which have really highlighted my lack of skills and knowledge as a manager. My staff are becoming closer and I am on the outside. How do you know that you are right to continue with what you are doing?? And where do you get your training and knowledge from? I am level 6, but this isn't enough in management!!!! Thanks Quote
trekker Posted October 29, 2015 Posted October 29, 2015 Wish I had the answer to this too. It is incredibly hard...non managerial staff get all the support and appraisals and supervisions but as manager you rarely (if ever!) get the same access to opportunities to talk about issues, brainstorm solutions...it'd be nice to feel like there is someone looking out for you too! There are advisory staff of course... after a certain point they seem to expect you to know everything and just get on with it and in my experience it can do more harm than good to ask for help. I tried helping myself by doing a lot of reading on leadership, management...assertiveness etc etc...but putting it all into practice day to day was a struggle I'll be interested to see what others come up with too. Quote
Mouseketeer Posted October 29, 2015 Posted October 29, 2015 Truthfully ....I get it here mostly :-) Being manager is a lonely place most of the time, it seems to be about everyone else's needs before your own, as long as they get a lunch break or a supervision meeting etc...then that's ok, I only have L3 childcare but did a management 4 NVQ a few years ago with a view to leaving childcare and this could go somewhere else, but I'm still here, I'm not sure the respect is always there when managing a committee run setting...you have a new employer every year that doesn't care that you've done the last umpteen years and the staff know they can go whining to them when they don't like what you have to say or try to implement and the issues multiply when staff are personal friends of committee, I find the problems usually arise when staff become to clicky...when this happens I find the next opportunity usually a new term to change the rota and split them up a bit ie different lunch breaks, large group cover etc..... Just be confident in what you are doing, and give them the opportunity to have a say before major changes...that way when they start moaning you can say that they were given a chance to put their ideas forward and didn't have a thought between them lol Quote
Guest Posted October 29, 2015 Posted October 29, 2015 I agree - it is a tricky one! The thing I found most beneficial was to have my deputy do my supervisions - she goes through exactly the same process with me as I do with her and the rest of the staff! It was helpful in making her aware that as a manager you do not always have the answer to hand and also the pressure that can be felt being responsible for everything! It helped me to air the areas that I felt I needed to develop both myself and the setting in too and gave her a broader understanding of the issues that caused me stress! It can be a lonely place as a manager, but nor can you be everyone's buddy as this makes your job even more difficult - it does become a bit of a juggling act, with many hats but you can never know everything!!! Your best is all anyone can ask of you!! As for are you doing it right - that has to be the golden question we all ask of ourselves yet none of us can be precise on how to measure!! Quote
Mouseketeer Posted October 29, 2015 Posted October 29, 2015 Mine is the biggest problem ....so I don't think so ;-p Quote
pickles37 Posted October 29, 2015 Author Posted October 29, 2015 Mmmm, well you have all given me some really interesting information and have made me realise how frustrating and lonely it can be. I feel my team are becoming too clicky, they socialise outside of work and then seem to 'gang up' against changes or offer the deputy support when I would have tried the exact same thing with no support. Our last LA visit said that staff were too familiar with each other - how would you interpret that? I understood it too mean that staff were too concerned with each other. I get told that my team don't trust or respect management (me and committee), when actually it works both ways, I have staff who will claim hours, but go home early and still claim - bang goes trust there surely! Or give up an hour and a half of my day off to cover but receive no thanks! I have tried support from local authority, but sometimes it is worse! Will continue to read and see how you all do it. Do you offer rewards to your staff?? Employee of the month or anything similar? Wondering whether to continue in management at the minute. Would just like everyone to work from same page and provide outstanding care at the minute we will be lucky if we scrape a good. Thank you all Quote
blondie Posted October 29, 2015 Posted October 29, 2015 i feel for you all - i think we have all been there sometime -i was last year but this has changed due to the fact the person who was causing most of the issues left - i know that this person was saying things and making a rift between staff members and staff and me - this has changed drastically since she left - staff are all happier and there isnt the divide between me and the staff and they respect me as a lead too - long may it last !(fingers crossed) 1 Quote
pickles37 Posted October 29, 2015 Author Posted October 29, 2015 Yes, I have two staff members like that unfortunately, I have tried to get them onside, but without making myself seem desperate it is impossible or when I do think yes I have done it, they do or say something behind my back and I loose faith again. I just wonder if I am the wrong type of person to manage which is seems a shame as I have barrels of passion and the willingness to work, play and improve all the time! Love my job, but not the management side anymore. Quote
Mouseketeer Posted October 29, 2015 Posted October 29, 2015 hang in there pickles ...I think many of us find ourselves as managers almost by deed poll and are thrown in at the deep end, I never wanted the job in the first place and that was 24 yrs ago...and who is going to care when I've managed the same setting for 25 years ...it's absolutely no one ! 3 Quote
pickles37 Posted October 29, 2015 Author Posted October 29, 2015 Thank you mouseketeer - 25 years is a very long time! And what a wealth of experience you must have!!! 2 Quote
Guest Posted October 30, 2015 Posted October 30, 2015 I am still in touch with the manager who ran my setting prior to me. She went off to be manager elsewhere and I took her position on. We stay in touch and though we don't speak all the time, if either of us have any questions we know we can ring the other for advice or even for a rant about how tough it is at the top of the chain Other than that, I get my advice from you lot on here. Sometimes just to read a post like this and know you're not the only one who feels that way brings a lot of support and peace of mind even if it doesn't offer any solutions Quote
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