Managers… Just Managing? with Sarah Cockroft

Bad managers are causing one in three staff to walk*.

Luckily for OceanWise, Sarah Cockcroft isn't one of these managers. She is only two weeks into her role there, but she is going in with her eyes wide open to what is needed of her.

Sarah has the benefit of hindsight. She is not new to management and that is why I invited her to join me to discuss the very real problems that are existing in many organisations today.

Instead of starting with clear ideas about what she wants, she has armed herself with questions to find out what her team needs of her. Sarah knows that this will help her identify how to be, and where to spend her time.

Are you that confident in your role?

Probably not when you consider data from the CMI that found as many as 82% of new managers in the UK are “accidental managers” – embarking on the role with no formal training in management or leadership.

Sarah explains key ideas that managers and leaders need to explore and consciously develop:

the timing of training for managers new into their role
essential skills; what manager development should focus on
vulnerability and authenticity when you're under pressure
the importance of knowing someone has your back
key factors for shaping a successful team
how to have good one-to-ones
the different roles of managers and leaders; can they be the same person?
THE NEED FOR TIME AND SPACE!

If you're still not convinced that you need to do anything after listening to Sarah, find out how much money your company spends on recruitment vs retention.

And look at your wider data. How many of YOUR employees are walking?

🫵 If you would like help understanding what good support and development looks like for managers, get in touch. Whether it's workshops, coaching or the Labs that were discussed in the podcast, we can shape practice together that enables both your managers and their teams to thrive.

Reach out to Sarah too - she is an awesome manager with a wealth of experience.

* New study: Bad managers and toxic work culture causing one in three staff to walk - CMI

More about Sarah:

Sarah has just started at OceanWise as Monitoring Manager for the oceanographic monitoring team. She is very excited to start something new and to join a growing team supporting ports, harbours, marine operations teams around the world.

Sarah has been an oceanographer her whole career, gradually shifting from a practical on-a-boat oceanographer to a team leader. She has always been a people-person and firmly believe that people will be more invested in the cause if they are engaged, challenged, trusted, and respected. She loves mentoring people, especially those early in their careers, and think it is so important to give people time and encouragement in their development.