We are all learning to manage with fewer resources, and many employees, particularly those in sales roles, are now finding themselves in the roles of ‘accidental managers’. Why accidental? Fiona Lander, Head of Professional Development at the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo), explains.

Because the large majority didn’t really choose the management route, but as the most experienced members of a reduced team, they are now often responsible for more junior employees. Nowhere is this more evident than in the recruitment sector. It’s no real secret that as a sector, recruitment organisations tend to train in sales – then they promote the best sales people who are not necessarily the best managers. Given that accepted business thought tells us that there is a direct correlation between effective leadership and growth, it seems that some parts of the recruitment sector just don’t see the connection. And they are not alone. There are some pretty startling statistics from the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) which found that 63 percent of managers within UK plc as a whole, have no formal training and almost a third (30 percent) believe that the management style within their organisation is authoritarian. Added to that is their recent research which reveals a direct link between effective leadership and growth: 80 percent of high performing companies feel that their leadership is effective versus 39 percent of low performing This draws a parallel with APSCo research which has revealed significant gaps, not only in front line management training but in a number of other key areas. The research all started back at the end of 2009 at a Leadership Symposium made up of fifteen senior business professionals from recruitment, HR, key UK Business Schools and allied professions, who exchanged views on the challenges and opportunities that leaders would face as they entered a new decade. One of the main findings was that in an uncertain economic environment, there’s so much change within businesses that nobody has the chance to properly embed it. Inevitably, much of the responsibility of making sense of all this falls into the hands of frontline managers. The problem is that many team leaders and managers are not ‘change ready’ which means they are unable to navigate their teams successfully through the journey needed to achieve growth or even cope with the dynamic environment we all find ourselves in. Other challenges include globalisation, technology and the growing recognition of the importance of a leaders’ emotional resonance with others.

So where are some of the gaps? First there are skills training. Leadership competencies are still important but they need to have a direct link to the organisation’s goals approach and culture. In many recruitment organisations, managers are seldom being trained in leadership before being given the position, resulting in managers or team leaders who do not feel confident in their role. These first line managers need to have the right resources if they are to succeed, investing time and money into these leaders of the future will be absolutely key to engagement and retention strategies. This is just one of the reasons APSCo has developed a leadership qualification specifically for recruiters accredited by the CMI. The second gap is around recognition. It’s all very well promoting successful sales people into leadership roles but they will probably earn less money personally, they still have to bill, motivate others to bill, manage their desk, coach and mentor, that’s a pretty big ask of someone. They deserve to be recognised, not only by being given the opportunity to gain a professional qualification, but also by the industry itself. With recent research from Gallup and the McLeod Report highlighting that engaged employees take less time off sick, are less likely to quit and are more likely to recommend their organisation as a good place to work, showing managers that they are valued, is key to employer branding.

There is a real gap in strategy in terms of recruitment organisations spotting future leadership talent at an early stage. Career paths need to be provided so that there is an internal pool of talent ready to take up the leadership mantle. If organisations do not address succession planning and where their future leaders are coming from, then it can have a real effect on the bottom line. So organisations need not only to engage with their existing talent in order to retain the very best but must also engage with future talent in order to once again grow their businesses.