• Published January 5, 2024
  • 4 Minute Read
LEADING EFFECTIVELY ARTICLE

Your First-Line Managers Need These Critical Frontline Leadership Skills

Ineffective first-level leaders will cost your organization a lot. Help them build these 6 first-line manager skills. These frontline leadership skills are critical for success in their roles.
Published January 5, 2024
Person walking forwards symbolizing first line manager skills that are essential for frontline leaders to succeed

Leadership Basics for Frontline Managers

First-line managers play a vital role — they are the managerial glue of a business, responsible for many critical day-to-day operations as well as making sure organizational objectives, goals, and plans are met and implemented. They’re often an organization’s largest population of leaders, and in many cases, they’re entry-level managers who are “on the line” and in closest contact with individual workers as well as customers and the public.

They’re the supervisors of individual contributors and may be first-level or first-time managers, often newly promoted into their first leadership roles. Or, they’re functional leaders who don’t have any formal direct reports, but who are responsible for the work of others through influencing without authority. Such leaders may also be hoping or preparing to move into a first-line manager role in the future.

These first-level leaders are also usually the least experienced tier of managers in a company, and may be referred to as office managers, shift managers, team leaders, or assistant managers, depending on the organization, industry, or geographic location.

Support Building First-Line Manager Skills

We’ve created an online moderated frontline leadership training program called Frontline Leader Impact, that’s specifically designed to develop first-line manager skills and help clarify leadership basics for frontline managers.

Why Your First-Line Managers Really Need Strong Leadership Skills

Regardless of what you call them, organizations face big challenges when trying to help first-line managers be more effective in their vital roles. Too many of them don’t understand the leadership basics for frontline managers.

Yet the price of an ineffective manager can be high and pervasive. A recent survey showed these 5 factors as the top reasons for employees reporting they had a bad day:

  • A lack of help and support from my boss (40%)
  • Negative co-workers (39%)
  • Lack of praise or recognition for the work I do (37%)
  • Uncertainty about the workplace’s vision or strategy (37%)
  • Busyness or high workload (36%)

It’s clear that all 5 factors are almost entirely a function of the immediate frontline manager and the strength (or weakness) of their first-line manager skills. Their effectiveness as leaders is directly tied to the success of their teams and to overall employee engagement levels.

And today, frontline managers face even bigger challenges and have greater responsibility than ever before. During the pandemic, as teams navigated new ways of working together in a hybrid workplace context, it became even more clear just how critical first-level leaders are to an organization’s success. And if your organization is focused on improving employee engagement and retention, you should pay particular attention to people’s engagement with their supervisor, immediate manager, or frontline leader.

Since these frontline managers may also go on to middle- and even upper-management jobs, it’s little wonder that 50% of all managers in organizations are rated as ineffective.

The Top Frontline Leadership Skills

The 6 Competencies Most Needed for First-Line Manager Success

In order to succeed, our research has found that frontline leaders should possess these 6 key first-line manager skills:

Infographic: Frontline Leader Impact: All Frontline Managers Should Master 6 Key Competencies. 1. Self-awareness. 2. Learning agility. 3. Communication. 4. Political Savvy. 5. Motivating others. 6. Influencing outcomes.

1. Self-Awareness

Managers who remain aware of their strengths and preferences and who understand their own weaknesses, quirks, and development needs are better equipped to make day-to-day decisions and interact effectively with others who have different personalities.

2. Learning Agility

Seeking out diverse experiences, quickly applying lessons learned to new challenges, and being able to integrate experiences and adapt to the environment allows frontline managers to swiftly recognize, analyze, and address new problems.

3. Communication Skills

Skilled first-line managers can listen, speak, and write clearly and consistently, communicating for maximum impact with people at all levels in the organization, including team members, superiors, peers, and others. It’s especially important to effectively communicate goals and expectations.

4. Political Savvy

Relating well to people, developing strong working relationships with direct reports and superiors, managing internal stakeholders, and navigating organizational politics to achieve goals is a key competency for managers filling this vital role.

5. Motivating Others

The most successful first-line managers are able to inspire commitment, recognize and reward the contributions of others, and guide direct reports to complete work, especially when goals are unclear. This may include motivating others to exceed expectations or put in extra effort — without monetary incentives.

6. Influencing Outcomes

Effective frontline leaders are able to accomplish goals by affecting the actions, decisions, and thinking of others, persuading them effectively to gain cooperation and get things done to achieve desired outcomes.

Some Closing Words on Developing First-Line Manager Skills

Frontline leadership is often scattered across multiple locations, so organizations have traditionally been forced to compromise between quality, cost, and flexibility when considering leadership development solutions for this large audience.

Online solutions that cover leadership basics for frontline managers are the obvious choice for developing this population of managers because such options are cost-effective and scalable, and they can be engaging and impactful, too.

It’s totally possible to learn leadership skills online, especially first-line manager skills for first-level supervisors who are looking for development opportunities.

Ready to Take the Next Step?

We’ve created a deep, social, and gamified digital learning experience, a frontline leadership training program called Frontline Leader Impact, that’s specifically designed to teach the leadership basics for frontline managers and develop first-line manager skills across large populations of leaders.

  • Published January 5, 2024
  • 4 Minute Read
  • Download as PDF

Written by

Samir Mehta
Samir Mehta, MBA
Global Director, Digital Portfolio & Practice Hub

Samir directs our digital portfolio and practice hub, ensuring that digital learning products and blended learning solutions are designed and delivered seamlessly for clients worldwide. He also facilitates virtual learning experiences and serves as a leadership coach.

Samir directs our digital portfolio and practice hub, ensuring that digital learning products and blended learning solutions are designed and delivered seamlessly for clients worldwide. He also facilitates virtual learning experiences and serves as a leadership coach.

What to Explore Next

Webinar
In a New Leadership Role? Learn the Shifts Successful Managers Must Make

Different situations call for different leader mindsets, skillsets, and responses. Watch this webinar to learn shifts that managers in a new leadership role must be able to make.

Leading Effectively Article
Learn Leadership Skills Online and Transform Without Travel

Learning leadership skills online can be a highly effective way to help leaders gain the critical leadership skills they need — without overtaxing their already-busy schedules.

Leading Effectively Article
The 4 Essential Leadership Roles of Every Career Journey

In every career journey, you’ll need to be able to play each of these 4 leadership roles from time to time. The key comes in your ability to select the right leadership role for any given situation, to play it well, and to shift between roles as appropriate.

Leading Effectively Article
Everyday Leadership: Challenges Faced & Competencies Needed by Everyday Leaders

When you think of a leader, who comes to mind? Learn what our research found that everyday leadership means and how it's shown by leaders in schools, homes, and communities.

Leading Effectively Article
12 Common Challenges of New Managers

Struggling as a manager? You're not alone. Learn 12 common challenges faced by new managers as they transition from being individual contributors to leading people and projects.

Related Solutions

About CCL

At the Center for Creative Leadership, our drive to create a ripple effect of positive change underpins everything we do. For 50+ years, we've pioneered leadership development solutions for everyone from frontline workers to global CEOs. Consistently ranked among the world's top providers of executive education, our research-based programs and solutions inspire individuals in organizations across the world — including 2/3 of the Fortune 1000 — to ignite remarkable transformations.