Managers make or break employee performance and development – here’s how to support them

Managers are key to ensuring people are committed to their development, and supporting them to put new skills into practice. But with often little time to spare, how can managers provide the right support? It starts with involving them in the right way and making it as streamlined as possible.

People are your organization’s most valuable asset and investing in their development is paramount to success. In the end, it's up to employees to take the lead in engaging with L&D opportunities. Just recently in 2023, Training Magazine's "Training Industry Report", named engaging learners as one of the top challenges (31%) faced by organizations.

Organizations are tackling this in different ways, but there's an important, often overlooked factor that can help bridge the gap between learning opportunities and people’s day-to-day work lives.

Managers.

The research is clear – when team members feel supported by their manager, they perform and develop better. Employees who report having a supportive manager are 3.4 likely to be engaged at work.

“Managers are the vessel that makes culture change and engagement a reality.” – Gallup

Managers are closer than HR or leaders to their team’s everyday realities. This puts them in the ideal position to provide the context and support to apply newfound skills. This hands-on guidance helps bridge the gap between knowing and doing – researchers call this ‘learning transfer’.

Despite their critical role in employee development, managers are often stretched for time and resource. Between fighting fires and juggling day-to-day demands, it can be hard enough prioritizing their own development, let alone that of their team.

To empower managers in supporting their team members effectively, we need to streamline their involvement and make it impactful. Here are three actionable strategies managers can use to drive meaningful support and development:

Show Genuine Interest: Regularly discuss development in team meetings and one-on-ones. Stay updated on all employees’ learning opportunities and celebrate progress to emphasize its importance.

Be Consistent: Don’t limit development conversations to annual reviews. Conduct brief, frequent check-ins to provide feedback, encouragement, and guidance on available resources. A quick check in can go a long way, that’s why we encourage a ‘little and often’ approach to foster a culture of continuous improvement.

Align with Goals: Connect individual tasks and projects to team members' personal goals, priorities, and career aspirations. This boosts motivation and drives meaningful, lasting behavior change.

Implementing these practices will make development a continuous and integral part of the team’s individual and collective growth.

EZRA Edge makes it easier than ever for organizations and managers to support employee development, addressing key challenges in modern workplace learning. With EZRA Edge, managers receive regular updates letting them know where their team members are in their coaching journeys, and how to support them. This feature directly tackles the 'forgetting curve' phenomenon, where learners rapidly lose newly acquired information without reinforcement.

Managers will receive personalized recommendations on how to engage their team, leveraging the power of social learning and immediate application. These recommendations are designed to create a supportive ecosystem that encourages continuous learning and skill application, crucial for long-term behavior change. For example, a manager might be advised to set up a peer coaching session where team members can practice new skills together, enhancing both learning retention and team collaboration.

Additionally, instructional videos from EZRA coaches support managers' own career development, embracing the principle of 'leaders developing leaders.' This approach enhances manager capabilities and creates a cascading effect of learning throughout the organization. A manager might watch a video on effective feedback techniques, then immediately apply this knowledge in their next one-on-one meeting.

By integrating these scientifically-backed features, EZRA Edge transforms traditional learning and development approaches. It creates a dynamic, continuous learning environment that addresses the challenges of knowledge retention, skill application, and the transfer of learning to the workplace.

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